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Human beings are a bit of a puzzle. There’s a paradoxical desire for connection with others while also staying unique. On the one hand, each and every single one of us has unrepeatable life experiences and relationships. On the other hand, there’s nothing new under the sun. There are tons of commonalities to be found between us and the people living all over Earth, from our similar wants and needs to psychology and biology.
However, some people have such bizarre genetics and medical histories that they feel like anomalies. Today, we’re featuring some internet users’ stories about some of the things that make them statistically rare, including niche allergies, biological quirks, and surviving against the odds. Scroll down to have a read.
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#2
I'm not part of the 77% of felons that went back to prison within 3 years of getting out. 7.5 years and going strong.
Pollen, dust, animal, and certain food allergies (e.g., to nuts, shellfish, and dairy) are fairly common. But their severity has a huge range. You probably know someone who has hay fever (hey!) or can’t be around cats or dogs for a long while without sneezing (hi again!). Or you may have a person in your life who has to carry around an EpiPen in case they get stung by a bee or accidentally ingest food that has traces of nuts.
Other allergies are incredibly rare. So rare, in fact, that you may not even have heard of them before. According to Penn Medicine Becker ENT & Allergy, some of the most uncommon allergies known to medical science include water allergy, also known as aquagenic urticaria. In short, people who suffer from it develop itchy and painful hives when their skin comes into contact with water. So, they have to limit their exposure as much as possible.
#6
Survived premature birth without any defects
Edit: For all those wondering I was born 4 months early at 1 pound 6 ounces.
Another very rare allergy is sun allergy, aka polymorphous light eruption (PMLE). Similar to aquagenic urticaria, PMLE means that people’s skin develops hives, but this time when exposed to sunlight, not water. People with PMLE have to avoid exposing large areas of their bodies to the sun and manage their symptoms with the help of sunscreen and antihistamines.
Some other rare allergies include cold urticaria (allergy to cold temperatures, whether that’s air, water, food, or beverages) and exercise-induced anaphylaxis (allergy to exercise which means you may need to have emergency adrenaline shots if you’re too physically active). And in some cases, you can find individuals who have cholinergic urticaria (sweat allergy) and nickel allergy (essentially, an allergy to coins).
#8
I actually had an allergic reaction to a vaccine as a kid. I passed out and stopped breathing. I almost died. I had a speech impediment as a kid that was probably a result of lack of oxygen to my brain during the incident. True allergic reactions like this are one in a million.
I couldn’t finish my vaccines and can’t get boosters shots because the chance of another reaction is higher than the chance of me actually contracting anything we vaccinate against. Or it was, until we starting losing our herd immunity. If I had kids I’d still vaccinate them.
What makes you a statistical rarity or total anomaly, dear Pandas? Do you have any bizarre allergies? Were you born with any genetic quirks? Have you ever been in a million-to-one situation?
How have all of these niche experiences affected your life? Would you rather be one-of-a-kind or have more things in common with everyone else? Let us know in the comments!
#12
I'm allergic to the chemical released when fresh oranges are peeled. That first spray when you open an orange will put me into anaphylactic shock. Super specific, super rare when the allergy is that severe. Bad oranges.
#13
I have sickle cell anemia.
My skin is white.
Ive had doctors ask me ‘are you sure you have sickle cell? Want to be retested?’ This has happened 6 times that I remember. Ive never seen my mom angrier lol.
#14
Being reasonably well-adjusted despite spending years as a foster kid where some of the homes were abusive.
#15
I’m chimeric, except, I have two twins. I’m walking around with my fraternal twin brothers DNA and identical twin sisters spinal tube next to my spinal tube. I was supposed to be three individuals.
#16
I found out I had synesthesia the first time I got into an argument about how Wednesday is green.
#17
I’m naturally a redheaded, blue eyed, left handed human and the only one in my family with those characteristics.
#20
Hmmm... There are a few things... I have centralized heterochromia, which is a mutation of a mutation... Of a mutation. On top of that, it's hereditary and not linked to any horrific condition that's normally linked to hereditary centralized heterochromia.
However, if you want incredibly rare...
My wife is alcohol intolerant. I didn't learn about it until she recounted a tale about her grandmother trying to calm her down as a baby by putting whiskey on her gums. Yeah, she calmed down alright... Then her face turned blue and she wasn't breathing. This anomaly is rather rare. But what makes this crazy? My dad is allergic to alcohol, which is very similar but just as rare! Not just grain alcohol, he's allergic to isopropyl as well. He can't even have it on his skin for too long, otherwise it will start burning. There was even a malpractice suite because a doctor didn't believe him when he said he was allergic. Her words were, "It's not possible to be allergic to alcohol." I won't go into details, but the doctor almost fainted and my dad has an insane scar because of it.
#22
I was present the two times the US was attacked on American soil. I lived in Pearl City, Hawaii just outside of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on 12/7//1941,. I worked in the Pentagon when a missile strruck it on 9/11/2001.
Edit: To all those correcting me, yes it was a plane and not a missile. In my very old age I get confused sometimes. When I evacuated the Pentagon as ordered, I could see the part of the plane that was sticking out of the side of the Pentagon. Took me a h**l of a long time to get home because of the incredible traffic jam that occurred in the aftermath.
#23
Instead of sweating I just get really really cold when working out. So far no health problems just a cool way to freak out my friends.
#24
Benign brain tumor that may have been sitting there my whole life.
my doctors say lots of people could be walking around and not even know it so who knows how rare it is.
#27
One of my eyes is sectorally heterochromatic. That's rare enough on its own, but I figure that the color combination and position on the iris makes it absolutely unique on Earth.
EDIT: Wow, this blew up! For those asking, [I'm Hazel with a chunk of brown.](https://i.imgur.com/5TgPutS.jpg).
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