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The realm of medicine progresses at an astonishing pace, with innovative vaccines and therapies emerging rapidly. Countless individuals globally have been effectively cured of various illnesses. Yet, there are instances where medical professionals encounter perplexing mysteries that leave them utterly stumped.
10. The Woman Who Hears Her Eyes Move - Lancashire, England
Eight years ago, Julie Redfern from Lancashire was engrossed in a game of Tetris when she noticed an odd squeaking noise. Initially unsure of its source, she soon discovered that the sound coincided with every movement of her eyes from side to side. Julie was, in fact, hearing the motion of her own eyeballs.
Over the years, Julie realized she could also detect the sound of her blood flowing through her veins. The noise of her chewing became so overwhelming that she often couldn’t follow dinner table conversations. The most distressing part was when her condition worsened to the point where her eyes would visibly tremble in their sockets whenever her office phone rang.
Julie was diagnosed with SCDS (superior canal dehiscence syndrome), an extremely rare condition where the bones in the inner ear lose density, leading to heightened auditory sensitivity.
This medical condition was first identified in the 1990s. Julie underwent a groundbreaking surgical procedure, and her doctors managed to restore normal hearing in one ear, offering hope that the other ear could also be treated successfully.
9. The Boy Who Never Feels Hunger - Cedar Falls, Iowa
In 2013, twelve-year-old Landon Jones woke up one day completely devoid of his usual hunger. Feeling faint and struggling with a persistent cough due to thick phlegm in his chest, his parents rushed him to the hospital. Doctors quickly identified an infection in his left lung and treated it promptly.
Despite recovering from the infection, Landon’s appetite never returned. His refusal to eat or drink led to rapid weight loss, and before long, he had shed 16 kilograms (36 lb).
Medical professionals remain baffled by Landon’s lack of hunger and thirst. Over the past year, his parents have consulted specialists in five different cities, but no answers have been found. Landon is believed to be the only individual worldwide suffering from this mysterious condition.
Landon now requires constant reminders to eat and drink, with even his teachers ensuring he consumes food and water during school. Doctors are investigating whether his hypothalamus, the brain region responsible for hunger and thirst, is malfunctioning. They are also examining the medication he takes for absence seizures, though the root cause of his condition remains unknown.
8. The Girl Who Was Suddenly Paralyzed - Tampa, Florida
In late 2013, nine-year-old Marysue Grivna’s mother took her to the hospital for a flu shot. This Christmas, however, Marysue will spend the holiday in a wheelchair, unable to communicate as freely as she once could.
Just three days after the flu shot, Marysue woke up unable to speak or get out of bed. Panicked, her parents rushed her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). ADEM occurs when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath protecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Without this protective layer, the brain and spine’s white matter becomes highly susceptible to damage, potentially leading to paralysis and blindness.
Doctors cannot confirm whether the flu shot caused Marysue’s condition, despite her parents’ firm belief that the vaccine is to blame. Carla and Steven Grivna have researched extensively and remain convinced. Medical experts admit the exact cause of ADEM is unknown, and tests on Marysue have yet to provide conclusive answers about how she developed the disease.
Marysue’s future remains uncertain, though doctors hold a slim hope that her symptoms could improve. Her father now carries her everywhere, feeling helpless as he tries to support her in any way he can.
7. The Girls Who Shed Stones - Yemen
Earlier this year, Mohammad Saleh Al Jaharani from Yemen was shocked to discover his eight-year-old daughter Saadia was shedding tiny stones instead of tears.
Saadia is one of Mohammad’s 12 children from two wives, and she is the only one with this bizarre condition. Despite numerous examinations, doctors have been unable to diagnose her or find any abnormalities in her eyes.
Another girl in the same area, fifteen-year-old Saboura Hassan Al Fagiah, has also been confirmed to cry stones. She additionally suffered from a swollen abdomen and would lose consciousness for hours. After receiving treatment in Jordan, Saboura appears to have made a full recovery.
Unfortunately, Saadia’s condition remains unresolved. Despite consulting numerous doctors, none have been able to provide a solution. Villagers speculate that she might be under a spell or possessed.
Her father mentioned in an interview that Saadia occasionally sheds normal tears, but the stones primarily appear in the late afternoon and at night. Remarkably, she feels no pain, even when up to 100 tiny stones emerge in a single day.
6. 12 Girls With Identical Mysterious Symptoms - Le Roy, New York
What some might attribute to mass hysteria, 12 high school girls in New York experienced a baffling phenomenon that left medical experts searching for answers.
In 2011, after a nap, one of the students, Thera Sanchez, woke up with uncontrollable body movements and vocal tics. This was entirely new to her, particularly the sudden verbal outbursts resembling symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome.
Even more bizarre, 11 other girls from the same school exhibited identical symptoms. A neurologist concluded they were experiencing a conversion disorder, suggesting mass hysteria. Other doctors attributed the symptoms to stress. However, two mothers, including Thera’s, disputed these findings. Despite health officials confirming no environmental factors at the school were to blame, the mothers remained unconvinced due to a lack of transparent evidence.
Weeks later, during a media interview, Thera was still experiencing twitching, stuttering, and involuntary verbal outbursts. To this day, no definitive explanation has been provided for the incident.
5. The Girl Who Never Aged - Reisterstown, Maryland
By the time Brooke Greenberg died at 20, she had never spoken a word and relied on a stroller for mobility. Despite the passage of time, her body remained frozen in time. At her death, her mental development was equivalent to that of a toddler, and her physical size was still that of an infant.
Medical professionals and scientists remain baffled by Brooke’s condition. From birth, she was considered a “miracle” child, surviving stomach ulcers, a stroke, and even a brain tumor that caused her to sleep for two weeks. When she awoke, the tumor had vanished, leaving doctors astonished.
Brooke’s development was equally perplexing. At 16, she still retained her baby teeth, while her bones were comparable to those of a 10-year-old, albeit smaller. Her hair and nails grew normally, and she could recognize her siblings and express joy.
Richard F. Walker, a retired expert from the University of Florida Medical School, has dedicated his life to unraveling the mystery of Syndrome X. He is also investigating similar cases, including an eight-year-old girl weighing just 5 kilograms (11 lb) and a 29-year-old with the body of a preadolescent boy.
4. The Woman Who Regained Her Vision - Auckland, New Zealand
Lisa Reid from New Zealand lost her vision at 11 and believed it was gone forever. However, at 24, she accidentally hit her head and miraculously regained her sight the following morning.
As a child, Lisa was diagnosed with a tumor that compressed her optic nerve, causing her blindness. Doctors were unable to help, so she adapted to her condition and acquired a guide dog.
Ironically, her guide dog, Ami, played a role in restoring her vision. One evening in 2000, Lisa bent down to kiss Ami goodnight and accidentally hit her head on a coffee table.
Initially, she only felt a mild headache, but the next morning, her vision had returned as clear as it was before she lost it. Fourteen years later, Lisa’s sight remains intact.
3. The Girl Who Can’t Feel Pain - Big Lake, Minnesota
As a toddler, Gabby Gingras frequently poked her fingers into her eyes, leading to the removal of one eyeball. She also severely damaged three fingers by chewing on them.
Gabby has an extremely rare condition that makes her completely unable to feel pain. By age seven, she had to wear a helmet and protective glasses to prevent self-harm. A documentary filmed when she was four shows her hitting her head against a table’s sharp edge without any reaction.
Hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy, Gabby’s genetic disorder, has no cure. In 2005, Gabby and her family appeared on Oprah, where her parents shared their daily fears. They recounted an incident where Gabby broke her jaw, but since she felt no pain, it went unnoticed for a month.
Additionally, Gabby’s body cannot regulate temperature like a typical person’s. Now 14, Gabby lives a relatively normal life, though her parents remain vigilant, and Gabby is careful to stay within her limits.
2. The Woman Who Developed a New Accent - Ontario, Canada
In 2006, Rosemarie Dore felt a strange sense of confusion and weakness, prompting her to visit the hospital. She was experiencing a stroke affecting the left side of her brain.
Before her hospitalization, Dore spoke with a southern Ontario accent. However, after the stroke, she suddenly began speaking with an eastern Canadian accent. Despite her efforts to speak normally, the accent persisted. Doctors concluded that, in addition to the stroke, Dore had developed foreign accent syndrome, likely caused by the brain trauma.
Further analysis of Dore’s condition showed that her speech had slowed and altered slightly before the stroke occurred. Doctors suggest she retains the ability to speak in her original accent, but the neural pathways connecting her brain to her mouth have changed, making the new accent feel more natural.
Researchers studying this rare condition have identified approximately 60 confirmed cases of foreign accent syndrome globally. One of the earliest cases involved a Norwegian woman injured by a bomb fragment during World War II, who began speaking with a German accent immediately after the incident.
1. The Boy Who Can’t Open His Mouth - Ottawa, Canada
While lockjaw is common in dogs, a similar condition in a newborn baby left doctors at an Ottawa hospital baffled earlier this year.
When Wyatt was born in June 2013, he couldn’t open his mouth to cry. He spent his first three months in the hospital as doctors struggled to diagnose his condition. Unable to help him unlock his jaw, they eventually sent him home, assuring his parents there was no obvious cause for his condition.
Over the next few months, Wyatt faced life-threatening choking episodes six times, unable to breathe through his closed mouth. His inability to drool like other babies causes saliva to accumulate, blocking his airway.
In a controversial approach, doctors used Botox to relax Wyatt’s jaw, allowing him to open his mouth slightly. However, this is only a partial solution, and the risks associated with his condition are expected to worsen as he grows.
This past June, Wyatt had to consume his birthday dinner through a feeding tube directly into his stomach. His parents have also observed that he doesn’t blink both eyes simultaneously. Ongoing tests remain their only hope for finding a cure.
