We often hear that each person is unique, and to some extent, that’s true. We all possess traits that are individual to us, like the iris of an eye (even our own two irises don’t match each other), the print of a lip, the way we walk, or even our voice.
But some appear to be more special than others, putting them in the 0.1% of the human population who have conditions like inverted internal organs or speaking backwards.
Out of their own curiosity, a person online started a discussion about this and encouraged more people to share their stories of the unique features they possess. Scroll below to marvel at the most unexpected ones, and who knows, maybe you’ll find out you also belong to the special 0.1%.
While you’re at it, make sure to check out a conversation with Jackaboya07, who took this topic to Reddit in the first place.
#1
Survivors of pancreatic cancer! Edit: This blew up more than I expected. My story is on my profile. I counsel people going through this now. Please PM me if you’d like to talk. The best advice I can give is to go to a place that specializes in these types of cancer, like MD Anderson in Houston. There are several in the US. They have the best doctors, the best imaging equipment, access to more clinical trials, etc. I was given six months to live in my hometown. Six years later after chemo, radiation and Whipple surgery, I am going strong. My risk of recurrence started dropping at two years, and now the risk is less than 10%.
Image source: Bamajoe49, Anna Tarazevich / Pexels
#2
I have exploded 3 times (IED, old soviet landmine, and a rocket strike on my gun truck). I don’t think theres a lot of people who can say that who still possess all of their limbs.
EDIT: since this comment blew up (pun intended) I will not respond to people catfishing in direct messages and I am not interested in your onlyfans. (srsly, like 6 just today, go away.)
Image source: Vict0r117, Jeff Kingma / Unsplash
#3
I can speak backwards. Say a sentence and I will say it backwards immediately. If you record me and play it back in reverse, you can hear your original sentence pretty well.
Image source: GreenApocalypse, SHVETS production / Pexels
#4
Saved a kitten with CPR.
Image source: DevelopmentSlight422
#5
I’ve spent more time climbing trees than 99.9% of humans. I’m an arborist and tree trimmer, who has been climbing since 1981, and plan to retire in 3 years or so. Everyone else who was doing it when I started is either retired or has younger people do all the climbing, but I refuse to let the kids have all the fun!
Image source: theisntist
#6
People diagnosed with clinically-definite MS who have a disability score of zero.
Most people diagnosed with MS have at least some disability. For many it’s low, but not zero, because the medication reduces the effects of the illness. For some, the medication does very little and they can be profoundly disabled.
I was diagnosed and started medication in 2008. Since then my disability score has been checked every 6 months by my neurologist, and has always been exactly zero. I’m just one of the very lucky ones who responds very well to the medication.
Image source: sapperbloggs, SHVETS production / Pexels
#7
I’m in the top 0.17% of the world’s population just for having natural red hair with blue eyes, if that counts.
Image source: SQWRLLY1, Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
#8
I have a condition called situs inversus where all of my internal organs are on the inverse side of the typical layout, so my heart and stomach are on my right, liver and gallbladder on my left, etc.
The occurrence is 1 in 10,000 so that actually puts me in the 0.01% range.
Edit: updated to accurate percentile
Image source: warpfox, cottonbro studio / Pexels
#9
Discovered Identical Twin, separated at birth, raised in another country (me) in our late 30s.
Image source: DeepPucks, Chan / Unsplash
#10
I used to be the youngest person alive
Image source: alexanderdotcom
#11
I have incurable histamine intolerance. I have to be on a very restrictive diet, I am on all kinds of histamine blockers and STILL get histamine reactions that make me have to check out of life for at least half a day with no notice. It is so rare, there is no actual treatment plan for it so its a try-it-and-see approach.
Image source: Fluffy-Hotel-5184, Louis Hansel / Unsplash
#12
I had 7 wisdom teeth and all were taken out at one time
Image source: bahamapapa817, Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels
#13
Losing people due to death. I’m 44 years old, and I tried to make a list of all the people I’ve lost about 4 years ago when my 2 month old nephew passed away. I wrote down 168 people before I stopped making the list because it was making me so sad, and I still occasionally remember people I didn’t add to it. (just typing this makes me weep.)
Image source: TheRealDedmanGraves, cottonbro studio / Pexels
#14
Not photographic memory but almost perfect Total recall from things that happened even 30-50yrs ago..I have hyperthymesia.
Image source: _swuaksa8242211
#15
I’m top 75 in the world at Guitar Hero. We have an online ranking system for scores now and I always finish at least in the top 100-50
Image source: debatesmith, Mikhail Nilov / Pexels
#16
I suffer from a combination of illnesses that make me severely disabled in a certain way. I have been invited to several studies and doctors from several european countries. I have tested medication that’s not on the market for over ten years. My disability doesn’t have a name yet but will probably get named after one of my doctors who has known me for over half my life.
It started as a mental illness with psychosomatic seizures, during each seizure a part of my brain tissue disconnects and and sometimes dies (sorry for the terrible explanation, I am neither a doctor nor a native speaker).
Long story short, my doctors have found out about like twelve other people having a similar combination of symptoms, yet it was not properly documented or researched before. That kinda makes me a 0.1% of the population – sadly not on top!
Image source: ThinkBug3947
#17
I am one of few with adults something called Harlequin syndrome. It’s harmless, literally does nothing beyond making half my face get red and the other half not red. So when I’m really hot and sweaty one side of my face will look like a tomato and the other half will look as if I hadn’t been hit at all. Completely normal.
There’s only like 1000 people in the U.S who have it. I could only find stats for the U.S so I don’t know the worldwide numbers but it’s pretty rare. Maybe not 0.1% but close.
(Note: I mention adults because it’s common in babies for the first like week of their life, but it usually goes away.)
Image source: treeteathememeking, Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash
#18
I’ve met the same actor 3 times at 3 different points of my life despite not working in the film industry so I gotta think I’m in the .1% of that occurrence.
Edit: it was Leo DiCaprio
Image source: Burggs_, Paramount Pictures
#19
Getting pregnant on birth control. Two times two different pills
Image source: InstantElla, JESHOOTS.com / Pexels
#20
The amount of data I crunched for the SETI at Home project. 5 quintillion floating point operations. Sadly, no evidence of a signal from intelligence from space. I was in the top 99.97%.
Image source: zenos_dog
#21
fun answer: bo burnham’s listeners on spotify (0.05%)
Neat answer: height! I’m a very tall woman (6’)
Image source: lookingforlimpdick, jinto mathew / Pexels
#22
My claim to fame: I am the only person on Earth that has or has ever had my given and surname.
While I do have a middle name, it is unnecessary.
How do i know? My dad’s last name was common and of Polish origins. His parents emigrated to America from Poland. My dad was born about 10 years later in 1910. Both his parents died, 2-days apart, due to the 1918 pandemic. Dad was taken in by several foster homes and when he turned 14 he applied for a work permit. According to the County Clerk, dad did not exist. But, my dad knew his birthdate, he knew the doctor who delivered him and the clerk put 2 and 2 together and found a birth record with a scribbled name. The County Clerk then wrote what he believed the scribble said and that became his surname but it was unlike any other name. So, all of his children were born with the made up surname. At my age, mid-70’s, I know every one of the 93 people who now share that made up surname and not a one of them has the same given name as me.
Image source: SyntheticOne
#23
I was the top 0.1% percentile for math in my country back when i was in school. Not world sadly
Image source: Yuki-Kuran, Karolina Grabowska / Pexels
#24
Number of books read. I am 37 and have read 7240 since 2001 (2766 of those are picture books though).I am in the top 30 for my home country on goodreads. Since I am a professional librarian with few social skills, this makes sense.
Image source: skundrik
#25
I can type 180 wpm @ 99,% accuracy
170 @ 100% accuracy
At least i used to when i actually was the ultimate computer nerd.
I’m sure i could still hit 155 to 160 even now though.
Haven’t seen anyone who could type faster even online.
I have an old a*s fb post from hitting like 175 @ 99%, on typingtest think I was ranked #1 out of 1.2mil i can’t remember
If people end up reading this I’ll end up linking it for proof lol
Image source: makecirclesquare
#26
Math, specifically fast mental math. I have gotten second and fifth out of over 10k people
Image source: bojjjj
#27
I am one of like 5-10 people that are on regular call for golf architectural history.
That combined with my knowledge of how to build and evaluate golf architecture in the field probably puts me into the .1%
Image source: master_chife
#28
I used to be one of the best tetris player for a short time
Image source: KingDededef, cottonbro studio / Pexels
#29
1 minute bullet chess.
And probably top 200 in the world over 50 years old, I am around 2500 on lichess.
veritas2011 on lichess
Image source: kobeisnotatop10, Vlada Karpovich / Pexels
#30
Having encounters with different kinds of ‘rare’ marine life as a diver
Image source: mainly_curious
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