"As am I," Basch says, eyes carrying over to a group of youngsters wide-eyed and brash, laughing and gesturing. "Can't say I'm disappointed to have someone else with experience around." He doesn't guard his face, sighing as he wonders which of these children won't make it home, or will with something inside them permanently broken.

But it has to happen. Without a cure for the sickness, things will only get worse.