Rose Marie Bentley lived for 99 years with organs in all the wrong places

Rose Marie Bentley lived for 99 years with organs in all the wrong places
www-m.cnn.com

One hears the refrain "everyone is unique". The thing is, technically you can say "every factory made part is unique" at some level. But humans are much more unique on many more different levels, than any human-made-machine (things like bone density or blood saltiness vary widely. Indeed, very few measures are uniform for everyone).

The remarkable thing is how the different parts of a living thing can still function well with that capacity to vary.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Biochemical-Individuality-Roger-Willi...

I didn't make it to 99 years old to find out I had it, but several physicians and doctors in my childhood missed the diagnosis too. Story time!

This is written on mobile so I apologise for grammar and spelling errors.

I had awful asthma as a child and would frequently visit hospital till my teenage years because of asthma attacks and similar. I couldn't estimate how many X-rays and Ultrasounds I had growing up. No one picked up the Dextro Cardia till I got my medical exam for Permanent Residency in Australia. You can imagine how surprised I was when I found out all my major internal organs are a mirror of where they should be. The consensus so far is that because my organs are all mirrored, most doctors look straight past the condition and consider it to be an X-ray Technician error.

Similar to Rose I experience chronic heart burn and I'm at heightened risk of heart disease, but little more than that. Unlike the majority mentioned in the article, but like Rose, I'm quite healthy and I'm now at the age of 30 with no signs of stopping.

One funny story within a story. I have to wear a medical alert to describe my condition in case of an accident.

When I was in my mid twenties I was in a car accident and my (car hits bicycle, I was on the bicycle) and didn't wear my medical alert. The one time in my life I definitely needed it. In vehicular accidents it's common for your organs to be moved around your chest cavity and abdomen as a consequence of the trauma and inertia of your body travelling and the inevitable sudden stop at the end. I got taken straight to triage in ER at the hospital and was whisked away to get stabilised, x-rays taken and my visible wounds cleaned.

I wasn't quite with it at the time but vividly recall the doctors looking distressed at my X-rays, the doctors came over to mention there's some 'anomalies' in my chest and require an ultrasound.

I have a brief moment of lucidity and mention to the doctor, 'Oh, I usually have a medical alert for this. I have Dextro Cardia w/ Situs Inversus. Thought you should know.'

The doctors lost their minds with laughter and took particular attention to finding the apex of my heart beat (it's not where it should be), prodding and poking my body to find out how it ticks.

To think if I wasn't with it at that time, I may have ended up with corrective surgery which is quite common when DC w/ SI is found to minimise risks associated with the condition.

I was quite fortunate, I had no broken bones, but I did have a concussion and so much road rash and other open wounds as a consequence of the accident.

Still to this day I now wear my medical alert daily, and when ever meeting a doctor they show visible delight in getting to play around with me and my rare genetic disorder. It's all quite fascinating. Including my girlfriend who's a doctor, as are most of her friends. :)

Thanks for reading!