For the 2003 Blogathon, Thomas Schrantz created MarfMan, a superhero who uses all the enhancements to his body that the Marfan syndrome gives him.
About the artist: When I asked MarfMan Thomas Schrantz for a short bio, he replied: " I'm 24, single, and an Aquarius. I enjoy long walks-- Oh, wait, not that type of bio... Anyway, I'm 24 and was diagnosed with Marfan when I was about 14. I currently live in Redmond, WA, and work as a software tester at Microsoft, testing a product that you've never heard of. The MarfMan image was created using CorelDraw 10 software. And yes, I do actually wear those pants in public." Visit Thomas' LiveJournal Maybe the Rainbows Are Always There.
Here is a description of the t-shirt for visitors to this site who are visually impaired:
MarfMan t-shirts, mouse pads, lunchboxes and posters have the following text, with an arrow from most pieces of text pointing to an appropriate place on the body of MarfMan. The model for MarfMan is Thomas Schrantz. He is tall and thin and is wearing a t-shirt, glasses and pants. The pants are clearly too short for him.
MarfMan t-shirts and lunchboxes are two-sided, with the Marfan "enhancements" split up between front and back (so the font could be made larger).
At the top, the image says: MarfMan The anatomy of a superhero
Below it, it says: Born on the distant planet of chromosome 15,
MarfMan towers over mere humans and displays a wide range of
superpowers and extraordinary talents.
The Marfan "enhancements" are:
Forehead is acutely attuned to the presence of low doors and overhangs!
Elevated vision allows him to spot danger over crowds as well as see the stage from the back row!
Bionic heart valve ticks regularly, allowing him to keep perfect time!
Scars and stretch marks are actually a secret code!
Long legs and pants that are three inches too short make him impervious to floodwaters!
Thick glasses and poor eyesight protect against being turned into stone by the evil glance of Medusa!
High palate provides useful temporary chewing gum storage when other super heroes are around, so they won't see he has any and try to bum a piece, those dirty freeloaders!
Pectus excavatum provides secret storage location!
Rubber-like flexibility and the ability to bend in ways mere mortals cannot dream of comes in handy when it is necessary to escape from the clutches of evil!
No evildoer can escape the reach of his long arms!
Thin frame allows him to camouflage himself as a tree or sneak into
narrow spaces, which are useful tricks when infiltrating the bad guy's lair!
Takes a beta blocker, rendering him immune to torture for information, because he will have forgotten everything anyway!
Catch phrases include 'dissecting aneurysm', 'spontaneous pneumothorax', 'dural ectasia', and 'mitral valve prolapse'!
Spinal curvature ensures that he gets to put all that high school geometry to use!
Top secret MedicAlert bracelet provides immediate access to information vital to his very survival!
Comes prepared with the excuse "I have a heart condition" when his fourth floor neighbor asks for help moving a couch up to his apartment!
Flat feet provide more surface contact, which leads to better traction during chases!
At the bottom of the image, there is a link to this Marfan Life web site, http://www.marfanlife.net/
