Adam was born with a defective heart. He was raised in an orphanage, where the nuns tell him that his father died trying to steal treasure from a baboon to pay for heart surgery for Adam. When the baboon learns the reason his father was trying to steal the treasure, he gave his heart to Adam. This, of course, is just a fairytale and Adam's heart is dangerously close to failing him. He is not very verbal and social because he was very sick as a child and the nuns kept everyone away from him for fear that his immune system would be compromised.