Brains
© Ros/Stock.xChang
The human body never ceases to amaze.

Even with all the medical breakthroughs, sometimes it's the body itself that fixes -- or compensates -- for what's wrong without us even knowing.

Take the extraordinary case of Michelle Mack. For years the Virginia woman's parents knew their daughter had special needs, but doctors could never pinpoint a diagnosis. Then at age 27 a MRI scan yielded a dramatic discovery: it showed that she was missing nearly all the left side of her brain. Doctors believe an in utero stroke likely caused the damage.

The finding almost didn't make sense because Mack, now 37, is able to do many of the things the left side of the brain typically controls, including speaking and reading. Her doctors could only come to one logical conclusion: her brain had somehow rewired itself to compensate for what was lost.

Although Mack's brain is incredible, the diagnosis did explain some of her challenges, including her struggle with abstract concepts, becoming lost in unfamiliar surroundings and the difficulty she sometimes has controlling her emotions.

Or, as Mack put it to CNN, "He's helped us understand the reason why I tend to throw fits, temper tantrums," she said. "It was because I was missing half my brain."

Mack lives with her parents in Falls Church, but works from home doing data entry for her local church. She pays rent and can handle most household chores. She said she decided to share her story so people will be more sympathetic toward those with intellectual disabilities.

She told CNN she wants people to understand, "that I'm normal but have special needs, and that there are a lot people like me."

I think after hearing her story many people will be not only understanding of Mack, but amazed, too.