A Frightening Awakening
Gideon Koren fabricated pediatric case reports for 25 years, misleading doctors worldwide and influencing postpartum medical guidelines.One afternoon, 42-year-old Tommy Lynch from Derbyshire woke up from a deep sleep after 14 hours. His friend, knocking on the door, noticed immediately something was wrong. “Why do you look so pale?!” the friend exclaimed.
Tommy was still groggy, but when he looked down, he realized his hands had turned blue. The friend, a professional caregiver familiar with severe hypoxia cases, insisted Tommy get to the hospital immediately.
Arrival at the Hospital
At the hospital, doctors reacted with urgency. Tommy was given an oxygen mask, and nurses prepared to draw blood. When they wiped his skin with an alcohol swab, the swab turned blue. Tommy suddenly recalled a crucial detail: he had recently bought a new set of deep blue bed sheets. 
The Blue Bed Sheets
A few days earlier, Tommy, living in a renovated barn, had received deep blue bed sheets from his friend Del to stay warm during winter. He was excited and put them directly on the bed without washing.
The first night was uneventful. The following day, he noticed his hands looked slightly blue when shaking hands but dismissed it as cold fingers. That night, he cranked up the heater, wrapped himself in the new bed sheets, and slept for 14 hours straight. Sweat from the warmth caused the deep blue dye to transfer evenly onto his skin.
Being a vitiligo patient with naturally pale skin, the contrast made him look strikingly blue—alarming enough to suggest severe hypoxia to anyone.
Panic and Misunderstandings
The next afternoon, Del came to wake Tommy and was shocked. Having cared for hypoxic patients before, he immediately thought of the worst-case scenario and insisted on rushing Tommy to the hospital. Tommy, still groggy, complied while realizing how exhausted he truly felt after his long sleep.
At the hospital, Tommy quickly became the center of attention. Patients and staff alike stared at the fully blue man. Walking to the registration desk, he awkwardly explained, “I woke up and found myself blue.” The staff, not taking any chances, prepared his bed, fitted an oxygen mask, and had ten doctors examine him in rotation.
The Comical Revelation
When a nurse wiped his skin with an alcohol swab and it turned blue, both were stunned. Tommy then realized the truth: the blue dye from the sheets had stained his skin. Relief washed over him, though embarrassment followed. His face flushed red from neck to ears, and he wished he could disappear.
Even his mother panicked after seeing a photo, fearing a serious circulatory problem, until the mix-up was explained.
Cleaning Up
Back home, Tommy washed the sheets and took multiple baths over the next week until all the blue color was gone. He finally returned to normal skin tone, grateful the incident was only a false alarm.
A Real-Life “Avatar” in History
While Tommy’s story ended comically, history has examples of permanent blue skin. Paul Karason, an American man, developed “blue skin” after using colloidal silver for health reasons. Silver built up in his skin, and under sunlight, he appeared vividly blue, earning the nickname “Papa Smurf.”
Karason believed the silver helped his ailments, and he continued using it until his death, leaving him permanently blue.
Lessons Learned
Tommy’s experience, though embarrassing, serves as a cautionary tale: always wash new bed sheets before using them. Otherwise, a harmless purchase could send you to the emergency room and create a story for the ages.
