Bubble Boy

Bubble boy, boy in the bubble and boy in the plastic bubble are colloquialisms used to describe a person who must live in a microbiologically sterile environment for medical reasons. Notable subjects of this usage are:

• Ted DeVita (1962–1980), a victim of severe aplastic anaemia who was forced to live in a sterile hospital room
• David Vetter (1971–1984), a victim of Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome who was forced to live in a sterile environment

In popular culture, the terms have been used for:

• The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, a 1976 film starring John Travolta
• "The Boy in the Bubble", a 1986 song by Paul Simon from the album Graceland (album)
• "The Bubble Boy" (Seinfeld), a 1992 episode of the Seinfeld TV series
• Bubble Boy (film), a 2001 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal