‘Ligma’ could become a recognized medical condition thanks to one man’s rare disease

A fan of the H3 Podcast phoned in to ask Ethan Klein to help him name his rare genetic condition after being approached to do so by the National Institute of Health.

On April 11, a caller named ‘Typo’ was featured as a special guest on an episode of the H3 Podcast, where he described his unique genetic disorder — and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it’s giving him.

Typo explained that he’d been ill for most of his life, but was only properly diagnosed after going to the hospital when he began to feel especially sick five years ago.

After getting a full blood workup, doctors said he had “stage 4 cancer” — but eight biopsies and several invasive surgeries later, it was actually determined that Typo was “aging differently” due to an issue with his telomeres.

To better explain Typo’s condition, we’ll have to give you a quick science lesson. Telomeres are protective structures on the ends of chromosomes that help prevent them from unraveling or getting entwined with each other. Think of them like the caps on the ends of your shoelaces.

When you’re born, your telomeres are long, and they gradually shorten as you age. However, Typo’s telomeres are extremely short despite being in his early 30s, leading to a whole host of medical issues for him. According to Typo, “your cells either need to stop dividing or die.”

In fact, Typo didn’t even have a detectable telomere on his chromosomes at one point.  For now, doctors are working to determine whether Typo’s condition is an autoimmune disease or a Telomere Biology Disorder — but in the interim, the National Institute of Health has given him the opportunity to name it.

Man with rare disorder wants to name it “Ligma”

At first, Typo thought ‘Ligma‘ was a perfect fit, but worried that it was “too low effort.” (The doctor he initially spoke to about it “didn’t get” the joke.) Suggestions came flooding in from the chat, which included everything from “bofa,” “Shrek swamp disease,” and “Benjamin Button Cancer Disease” (BBC). 

However, Ligma continued to be a popular option — and it’s one that Typo feels a kind of responsibility over.

“I feel like this is the dream that the entire internet has always waited for,” he said.

(Topic begins at 38:30)

While he does get to choose the name of his disorder, it won’t be officially decided upon until quite a while later after many tests have been run and more information discovered. After that, a panel of doctors will say yay or nay to “Ligma.”