When Meditation Meets Mice: The Cautionary Tale of Kevina the Cancer Researcher
Let’s take a moment to picture this: You’ve worked for years, climbed academic mountains, and finally earned a golden ticket to do real, world-changing cancer research. The only catch? Your job involves working with mice—lots of them, in fact. Now imagine you’re absolutely, unequivocally, panic-inducingly terrified of rodents.
Sound like the setup to a sitcom? Nope, it’s the true story of “Kevina the Cancer Researcher,” as shared by Reddit user u/Unnnatural20 in r/StoriesAboutKevin. And it’s a cautionary tale for anyone who’s ever thought “Fake it till you make it” applies to laboratory rodents.
When Meditation Isn’t Enough: Enter Kevina
Our saga begins in a tightly regulated cancer research lab, where mice are not just lab animals—they’re privileged, highly regulated assets, requiring special permissions, facilities, and training just to handle. Into this world steps Kevina, a new grad student, who greets her first day with an ominous, “I hope I’m ready. I’ve meditated on this.”
Spoiler alert: Meditation does not cure musophobia (the fear of mice). As her supervisor soon discovers, Kevina can barely look at a mouse, let alone pick one up. Despite patient coaching, gentle encouragement, and even an observational role, she finds herself recoiling at every squeak and twitch. After fifteen minutes, she’s retreated to the safety of the far wall, leaving her supervisor to realize the unthinkable: the new “cancer mouse researcher” is afraid of mice.
The Real Cost of Wishful Thinking
You might be thinking—hey, everyone has fears! But here’s where things tumble from awkward to catastrophic. Animal research isn’t just a personal challenge; it’s a logistical and ethical minefield. Permits, specialized breeding, and carefully allocated funding mean that every mouse and every experiment is meticulously planned. When Kevina bailed from her original mouse-centric project, the whole lab had to scramble, repurpose resources, and pick up her abandoned workload. In short, her “immersion therapy” experiment with her own phobia didn’t just fail—it left chaos in its wake.
And let’s not forget Kevina’s continued adventures in the lab. When a fire alarm blared (a serious, trained-for emergency), she turned to her supervisor and asked, “Should we leave?” The urge to respond with, “No, let’s stay and possibly die,” was only stifled by the real risk that she’d take it seriously.
What Can We Learn from Kevina?
Beyond the laughs and facepalms, Kevina’s story offers some real-world lessons:
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Know Thyself—And Thy Job: If you’re applying for a research position (or any job!) that requires close contact with certain animals or tools, be honest about your limitations. Wishful thinking isn’t a substitute for readiness.
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The Ripple Effect Is Real: One person’s lack of preparation can upend months of work for an entire team. In science, where timelines and resources are tight, that’s especially true.
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Training Exists for a Reason: Animal research is heavily regulated—not just for the welfare of the animals but for the integrity of the research and the safety of the staff. Skipping the self-assessment step can have far-reaching consequences.
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It’s Okay to Pivot—But Do It Early: If you realize a role isn’t for you, own up as soon as possible. Delaying the inevitable only multiplies the fallout.
A Final Word—and a Chuckle
In the end, Kevina did finish a different project, presumably far from the front lines of lab mouse territory. And hopefully, she found her true calling somewhere rodent-free. But her story lives on as a reminder to all of us: Know your comfort zone, be honest with your team, and maybe—just maybe—don’t use world-changing research as your personal fear exposure therapy.
Have you ever worked with a “Kevina”? Or maybe you’ve had your own immersion-therapy-gone-wrong moment? Share your stories in the comments below, and let’s commiserate over workplace “oh no” moments—no meditation required!
Original Reddit Post: Kevina the cancer researcher