Summary
Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 3, “The Wisdom of the Crowd” turns to an ex-military man who is losing himself day by day to an unspecified brain inflammation.
This recap of Netflix documentary series Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 3, “The Wisdom of the Crowd”, which concerns Gulf War Syndrome, contains spoilers. You can read the recap of the previous episode by clicking these words.
Episode 3, “The Wisdom of the Crowd” turns its attention to 46-year-old Willie Reyes. He’s suffering from memory loss, seizures, mood swings, and he has a couple of brain lesions. Diagnosis presents it as a race against time — the man is losing himself, and he’s already lost a lot.
“The Wisdom of the Crowd” delves in at the real cost of having an undiagnosed disease; his family is living on scraps to pay for the hospital bills — Willie cannot afford health insurance.
And the irony is, he is ex-military; Willie was denied early retirement and all other relatable benefits that link to being unable to work due to a condition. Willie tried to work for the prisons, but his condition meant he was unable to work.
Episode 3 provides plenty of answers surrounding Willie’s unspecified brain inflammation, but there is an incredulous number of suggestions. Dr. Lisa Sanders gives a few theories, but none of them sticks. “The Wisdom of the Crowd” is a frustrating experience. It’s made worse by Willie’s emotional imbalance; whatever is happening to him forces his mood to change quickly, suddenly sobbing halfway through sentences. You can only be sympathetic.
Eventually, the link was made; he served in the Gulf War. The US army never educated their veterans about the side effects of been exposed to Sarin gas, which was used frequently. Via the crowdsourcing, Willie gets in touch with a war veteran who experienced similar symptoms. Willie likely has Gulf War Syndrome.
There are no definite answers in Diagnosis Season 1, Episode 3, “The Wisdom of the Crowd”, and despite Willie still waiting for his benefits to be approved, he now feels more comfortable and happy to be a part of an ex-military community that is in the same situation as him.
You can read the recap of the fourth episode by clicking these words.
