James McDougall is a man who suffered from a genetic mutation that nearly killed him after a stress fracture.
History[]
When he was sixteen, James was diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder. With anti-depressants doing little to help, James became an ultra-marathon runner which helped a lot, saving his marriage and his life. James and his wife wanted to go to Costa Rica and owned a three-legged rescued dog named Tripod. However, James' running caused him to suffer a stress fracture that was treated by Dr. Audrey Lim. Over the next six months, James experienced severe swelling in his legs, but medication prescribed by his regular doctor did little to help.
Season 3[]
After James returns to the hospital due to the severity of the swelling, he is treated by Drs. Morgan Reznick, Shaun Murphy and Audrey Lim who initially thought that James had simply reinjured himself. A surgery was performed by the team and Dr. Marcus Andrews to reduce the effects which Lim suspected were caused by cancer since there was no sign of an infection.
Pathologist Dr. Carly Lever, after going over James' samples, diagnosed him with a genetic mutation that could drown James from the inside if they couldn't find a medication that he would respond to. Lim and Carly suspected that James' stress fracture triggered the mutation's effects, but there were over forty possible medications to treat it, each with different side effects. The team eventually came up with a treatment, but it caused a gastrointestinal bleed that had to be fixed and did not stop the mutation's effects. At Carly's suggestion, she and Shaun, who had pathology experience, began using zebra fish to experiment in finding a safe drug to treat James' condition. However, James' condition continued to deteriorate, forcing Lim and Morgan to drain fluid buildup from around his heart right in his hospital room.
By the next morning, Shaun and Carly's research had narrowed it down to two possibilities, forcing Carly to make a decision between them. Carly, a pathologist not used to dealing with live patients, was devastated that James' life rested on her choice, particularly after having done research into his life. Carly's suggested treatment proved successful and Carly and Shaun later witnessed a recovering James and his wife happily talking with Lim.
Appearances[]
| Ep. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| S3 | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| S4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| S5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| S6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| S7 |