Lizzie Velasquez Not only has Lizzie beat medical odds, but she’s overcome the unique cruelty of the internet: Google “World’s Ugliest Woman” and her picture pops up. But instead of firing back at internet trolls, Lizzie has taken the higher road and used the damnation to propel her into the inspiration stratosphere: she’s given a TED Talk, written a book and traveled far and wide as a motivational speaker. Not just in the hope to raise awareness around her unnamed disease, but as a defendant against bullying. Lizzie suffers from a disease that has no name, and only two people in the world are known to suffer from it. Lizzie’s body essentially stores no fat, so she has an emaciated appearance from lack of adipose tissue. Just to stay alive, she has to eat upwards of 5,000 calories a day. Though her condition is unknown, it’s similar to progeria, a disease of rapid cellular aging. Jerri Nielsen Dr. Jerri Nielsen was a highly trained doctor who was hired to spend a year in Antarctica in 1998. She would serve as the only physician to the research scientists working at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. At the time, Dr. Nielsen was 46 years old and had extensive medical training. Having the opportunity to participate in “adventure medicine” was thrilling, if not also remotely terrifying. A few months into her work, she found a lump in her breast. Fearing the worst, she consulted with physicians back in the US by phone and video conference, who informed her that the only way to rule out cancer was to have her perform a breast biopsy on herself. But the incredible story doesn’t end there: the biopsy was inconclusive because the apparatuses at the make-shift hospital were too out of date. Fearing her situation may turn dire, the US arranged an air-drop of medical equipment. Once in receipt of the tools, Dr. Nielsen was able to confirm that she had breast cancer. For the next few months she trained members of the research team to help her with her treatments, but largely, she underwent chemotherapy by her own hand. She survived and returned home a few weeks short of her year agreement and went on to publish a book, which was then turned into a film starring Susan Sarandon. Dr. Nielsen succumbed to complications from breast cancer in 2009. Connie Culp In September of 2004, Connie Culp’s husband shot her point-blank in the face and then shot himself in an attempted murder-suicide. Connie’s face was almost entirely blown off by the blast, and she barely survived. Somehow, she managed to walk downstairs to find help. Adrenaline pumping, she was at first completely unaware of the extent of her injuries. By the time she reached the hospital, in critical condition, she began to become aware of the severity of her injuries. In order to repair the damage and save her life, she would undergo 30 something surgeries in the next few years in an attempt to reconstruct her face. She had lost most of her senses and was also terribly disfigured. Connie became part of medical history when she received a face transplant. While she is still legally blind, the improvement of her facial function, including nerves, is remarkable and a testament to modern medicine and human perseverance. Connie’s husband also survived and was imprisoned – but was released in 2011. Mandy Sellars Born with a rare genetic mutation, together, Mandy Sellar’s legs and feet weigh 210 lbs. Similar but not exactly like Proteus Syndrome, also known as “elephantiasis”, her condition has only been seen in just over 100 people around the world. At birth, her legs and feet were misshapen, and as she grew up they seemed to grow to an extraordinary size, eventually outweighing the rest of her body. Throughout her young life, doctors urged her parents to amputate her legs, fearing that the stress on her body would consume her before she reached adulthood. But her family was determined that she have as normal a life as possible. By age 19, Mandy was living on her own, attending college and living independently with no helpers. In her late twenties, a blood clot stripped her of her ability to walk but against the odds, she relearned how to take steps. She continued to face medical problems that stemmed from her legs, and at one point, she did have one leg amputated, but the tissue regrew and affected her ability to wear a prosthesis. Her remaining leg now weighs just under 50lbs, and somehow, Mandy is able to lead a relatively normal life. Lakshmi Tatma Lakshmi was born in India in 2005 – an otherwise healthy little girl who just happened to have eight limbs. In utero, Lakshmi was destined to be a twin: but because of a malformation shortly after conception, she ended up having part of her conjoined twin meshed with the rest of her body, creating the appearance of two, distinct sets of arms and legs. Her name, Lakshmi, was given to her in honor of the Hindu goddess of wealth, who is depicted in scriptures as having four arms. Little Lakshmi was actually born during the festival of Lakshmi, and soon she became known internationally. In the first year of her life she was worshiped as being the reincarnation of the goddess, and it was so intense for her family (who was too poor to be able to afford surgery to remove the extra limbs) that the family went into hiding. During this time, she became very sick from the parasitic twin. Eventually, the family was found by Dr. Sharan Patil who agreed to do the surgery, and it took a team of over 30 physicians to remove the twin from Lakshmi safely. The surgery was successful, and though she did have clubfeet and some scoliosis which can be corrected, she has been healing well. Jeanna Giese Jeanna Giese and Dr. Robert Willoughby made controversial medical history in the early 2000s. After picking up a bat during a church service she was attending, Jeanna was bitten and developed rabies. After quickly deteriorating in the emergency room, she landed in The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where Dr. Willoughby was stumped by how he would treat her – without early intervention, rabies is fatal. Researching late into the night, Dr. Willoughby wondered what would happen if he put her into a medically induced coma and pumped her full of anti-vitals. She was already in the late stages of rabies, so her parents agreed to the experimental treatment knowing that she was likely to die anyway. Partly due to being young and healthy and partly through Dr. Willoughby’s quick-thinking, Jeanna survived. Dr. Willoughby went on to publish his treatment, called The Milwaukee Protocol, and Jeanna is an avid animal enthusiast; she even works with bats. Gabby Gingras Many people would probably be thrilled to feel no pain. Not Gabby Gingras and her family – they know all too well what that means. Gabby has something called Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy type-4, or HSAN type-4. More often it’s just called “congenital insensitivity to pain.” Quite literally, Gabby cannot feel pain. She can’t feel if she’s stubbed her toe or broken an arm or burned her hand on a hot stove. She also can’t control her body temperature: she doesn’t sweat, because her body can’t feel heat. Before the age of five, Gabby had walked around with a broken jaw, broken arm and literally scratched her own eye out – she now wears a glass eye. She is now a pre-teen and after her family started her on a gluten-free diet as a trial, she has had a few instances where injuries caused her to “not feel right” – which her parents hope might be twinges of pain. While most parents would never wish pain on their children, for the Gingras family, if their daughter could feel the pain of a stubbed toe, they would rejoice. Ella-Grace Honeyman Just a few days before she turned 1, Ella-Grace Honeyman was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called Vein of Galen Malformation (VGM). The vein of Galen is a large, deep vein of the brain. When it is malformed, the capillaries are absent, and therefore adequate blood supply to the brain is impacted. Of course, when your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen, the complications can be dire. For Ella-Grace, they nearly almost have been: she’s had many complications and experimental surgeries in her young life. Her family has even set up a fund to help them afford even more pioneering treatment so this youngster can have a chance for a normal, healthy life. Source
