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People like to feel special in some regard. When we're kids, it's about having the latest and most popular toy. When we're teenagers, we want to be popular or stand out from the crowd by being different from everyone else. Listening to and gatekeeping pretentious, obscure bands was my thing, personally, but there's no judgment among Pandas, right?
In a couple of threads online, people started sharing what makes them different from everybody else. The answers to the question "What are you in the 1% of?" varied: people covered everything from genetics, unique experiences, and, of course, some morbid stuff.
But what exclusive club do you belong to, dear Pandas? Don't forget to share with us in the comments and let us know what makes you special!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I had pancreatic cancer last year. Out of 10,000 patients they normally find 100 who have another form of this cancer who kill a little slower, like in 2 years instead of months.
I was one of the hundred. Out of those, normally 15 can have surgery. I was one of them.
Out of those 15, some die and some come back to basically normal life.
That's about a 0.07% chance in all.
I am still one of them. I should be dead by now. 🙂.
#2
Mine's pretty godawful. I have 2 uteruses.
Edit: lot of people asking why I put up with it till I was around 33. *I* *didn't* *know* . Because doctors don't listen to women complaining of menstrual issues, is why. The endless pain and bleeding? Suck it up, take 3 Advil not two (holla). Starting at age 12. Till I lucked into a rare empathetic gynecologist who, since I'd always known I was uninterested in parenting, offered me a minimally invasive (just removes the top of the uterus, the rest of me stayed there) hysterectomy to stop the pain and hemorrhaging. And in doing the surgery, he discovered what no other doctor had cared enough to find.
I love that guy!
N.B. in the States, it is rare and usually extraordinarily difficult for a young woman who has not borne children to get a voluntary hysterectomy. Criminal.
Fishpanda (fish/panda/it) 1 month ago (edited)
US needs better women's rights. A lot of surgeries that have to do with the uterus are refused for one stupid reason or another.
#3
I have a double gene mutation that makes me highly resistant or even immune to the HIV virus.
Fishpanda (fish/panda/it) 1 month ago
I've been reading a lot of books on HIV for an essay recently. This is an amazing trait to have.
#4
I fell off a 100 foot cliff and landed head first on rocks.
Broke my neck and back. Smashed up a lot of my body. Had to travel about a mile to find help immediately after the fall. Doctor said I caused more damage by trying to walk for help, but would have bled out if I stayed where I fell. 15 months later, I am power lifting and ran a half marathon. Should not be alive, much less be able to walk.
EDIT:
How: Camping on a mountain. Found a spot to lay down and observe the stars. Had to pee, stepped into woods, lost my footing. Geronimo.
Injuries: Head was scalped. Huge piece of flesh was just hanging off my head. Must have been a sight to the folks who's door I knocked on in the middle of the night for help. Neck was broken and had to wear an immobilizing neck brace for many months 24/7, as they were concerned surgery may cause more damage. Initially a had a loss of sensation in my hands. Multiple vertebrae were broken, one had broken into over a dozen pieces. The neurosurgeon figures at impact my body folded in half causing that one to essentially explode. I had to have spinal fusion and relearn how to walk after. Multiple ribs broken.
Recovery: At first I essentially lived in one of those geriatric chairs that lift you up to stand. I could barely get around with a walker. Sitting on the toilet was the most excruciating thing. At some point it turned into laxative use and stand in the shower. I couldn't bend or care for myself much in any way. Some of my friends think that being a Marine made me tough enough to survive this, but I credit an inherent stubbornness to never give up. I constantly pushed through the pain to get myself to the next level. From walker, to cane, to walking sticks. The neurosurgeon told me the best thing I could do for physical therapy was walk, so boy did I. At first I could barely make it to the end of the block and back, then a quarter mile, then on and on. Every hard effort day required a day or two of sitting in the chair and suffering through the pain. Got off meds the moment that I could stand to. 5 months after the accident I got on a treadmill and tried to run. The impacts were excruciating, but I kept coming back for more and more. At 10 months I was able to race in a 5K on memorial day in honor of a fallen veteran. I raced my heart out and was able to run it in less than 30 minutes. I immediately began half marathon training and at 14 months was able to finish at about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Started back to lifting serious weights at about 11 months and here I am in month 16 about to become a member of the 1000 pound club. (Bench press, deadlift, and squat all totaling 1000 pounds.) I still deal with pain regularly and I have a lot of discomfort that makes sleep challenging. I've still got a couple of months until the bones reached 100% of their healing potential.
It's been quite a journey. Never give up my friends!
#6
I’m one of only @200 deaf pilots in the world and one of only four (that are commonly known of) in the world with Commercial & Instrument training.
I’m also one of the only deaf people who hold both a pilots license and a commercial drivers license.
FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 1 month ago
So I just learned something new because of this post. I was under the impression that in order to hold a commercial driver's license CDL, one has to pass a hearing exam, but in 2013 a law was passed allowing deaf people to apply for a hearing waiver which includes other documents. This is awesome for all those in the non hearing community.
#7
Only 2% of pregnant women experience 2 miscarriages in a row. Only 1% of women experience 3 miscarriages is a row. I have had 5 miscarriages in a row and I fully hate any type of statistics now. Statistics used to make me feel safe. Now I just know how easy it is to be on the wrong side of them.
Edit: Thank you for sharing your support and your stories. I feel for so many of you that also make up the 1% (or less than 1% I guess). Sending all the love and healing your way if you’re in this same sucky boat as me.
BeesEelsAndPups 1 month ago
This is so awful. I know from experience how dismissive doctors can be of women who've just experienced a miscarriage. In general, as a male person, I feel like women got the sh*t end of the stick in most things in our society. I don't know why people as educated as doctors have to pile onto the trauma (speaking from personal experience of two miscarriages)
#8
Survival. I fell 25 feet out of a window when I was about 2 years old. I’ve also been hit by a car that was traveling over 50mph/80.4kmh. I’ve had two near drownings. I was also held hostage at gun point for over three hours. All if these things happened before my 14th birthday.
#9
Genetics. A red head with ab- blood and hazel eyes. I’m a walking recessive gene.
Sinclair13 1 month ago (edited)
I have blonde hair, ab- blood, and green eyes. My second toe is also longer than my first toe.
#10
I’ve been in 2 helicopter crashes and 1 plane crash. There is only a small group of people who have survived that many crashes. I’m also not a pilot.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
Don't take this the wrong way, but I am not getting on a flight with you.
#11
I suffer from a relatively harmless “phenomenon” called “Aphantasia”.
I am incapable of conjuring images inside my head. I “know” what object or thing I’m supposed to think about but all I see is nothing.
When I dream, I know what’s happening and what I’m supposed to see but it’s just a whole lot of nothingness. I guess you could say I’m “blind” in my mind.
Apparently around 1% of the population suffer from this weird condition.
Must be nice having a screen in your head that shows anything you can imagine :/.
#12
I can make my eyes shake (voluntary nystagmus) and I can wiggle my ears.
It was a lot more impressive when I was 7.
Traveling Lady Railfan 1 month ago
Hey, me too! My brothers as well! It was fun as a kid to tell others "hey, look at my eyes" ....then they vibrate back and forth like a paint mixer and freak people out! Lol!! I don't bother with it anymore.
#13
Cancer survivor. Think that’s 5%. I had it 3 f*****g times.
#14
Far less than 1% of people make their living creating crossword puzzles. I've also written five novels, three of which were published.
#15
According to my step counter, walking.
Not even kidding, I manage a warehouse and walk 10-15 miles a day at work. Apparently this is more than 99.3% of users.
Turns out the one thing I'm exceptional at is the one thing almost everyone can do. Yay.
#16
Not me but my dad.
He was born with a backwards heart and didn’t find out till his heart attack a few years ago and it actually saved his life.
His doctor later told him that after being a doctor for over 30 years he’d never seen someone with a backwards heart and that apparently 1% of people on the planet have it.
Stephanie Did It 1 month ago
Does that mean the heart is on the opposite side of the body than normal, or that the heart is in the usual place but facing towards his back?
#17
I’m naturally ambidextrous. Apparently that’s something only 1% of people naturally are. I can use both right and left hands ably for any task. For example, I often switch which hand I write with based on how I’m sitting.
(It’s worth noting _natural_ ambidexterity is not the same as _learned_ or _acquired_ ambidexterity. For example, left handed people often have to use things designed for right handed people but otherwise are left handed.).
#18
Typing in my PC.. I can type up to 170 WPM sometimes, and in the human benchmark site that's 1%.
#19
Surviving a crossbow to the head. Directly between the eyes. Only one other person has been documented in surviving a crossbow head impact, and they became brain dead. Not only did I survive, but I still have enough brain function to type this out and even go to work on a daily basis. I'm very blessed to be here, and I do my best to not take it for granted.
Edit: apparently more people have survived this than I originally knew, and that's kinda cool to know!!
Edit 2: holy crap I did not expect this to blow up so much!!! Thank you all so much for the kind words and awards!!! I'm not going to reply to everyone just because there's so many comments, but if you have a question feel free to ask and I'll do my best to respond!!
#20
Mirror writing:
writing the same exact thing with my left hand, except backwards and to the left, while I write it normally and with my right hand.
#21
I’m an American of North Korean descent
#22
My actual name. My last name is one of the rarest in the country and I am the only person with my name out of the entire population.
MrsFettesVette 1 month ago
This is also true for me! I actually didn't think it was that rare. If you have an unusual last name it's gotta be pretty common to be the only "you".
#24
So apparently my left eye is 32mm. The average size is 21-27mm. My eye doctor said it was neat.
#25
I am a super recogniser. Super recogniser is a term coined in 2009 by Harvard researchers for people with significantly better-than-average face recognition ability. I am not in 1 percent to be precise actually, it is around 2% but wanted to share anyways.
There is a free online test for you to check if you are one as well.
#26
If you make 40k a year and have no debt... Wealth, globally speaking.
#27
Eyesight. I have 20/10 vision, turns out only about 1% of people have better than normal 20/20 vision.
BrunoVI 1 month ago
My Dad was a big Ted Williams fan. The best hitting non-Yankee in baseball history, and it was largely due to having freakishly sharp vision. The guy could read the stitches on the ball coming at him (which would tell him which way the pitch was going to bend or not bend). Never topped many career milestones because he served as a bomber in WW2 for three years, and went right back and served another two in Korea.... he thought he owed it to his country to put his eyesight to the best service possible.
#28
I'm a totally in the 0.2% of something. People who have a rather nasty reaction to the blood thinner, Heparin. Lost half my toes because of how lucky I am.
#29
Grandmaster in league of legends (0.02%) 😎, this results in not having a social life or girlfriend so don’t recommend.
_-DungeonKeeper-_ 1 month ago
It's OK I don't have a social life or any romantic interest in anyone whatsoever anyway
#30
Degrees. I have a BA, MA, JD and two PhD's. If I'm not mistaken, less than 1% of the world has that many (and neither should I).
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
Did you hear about the man with 360 degrees? His education went full circle.
#31
I can stop my hiccups on command.
RaisedByCats 1 month ago
My husband can too and cannot fathom why other people can't control it ("you just tighten the muscle at the top of your stomach")
#32
Birth control. 99% effective right? I'm living proof of the 1% XD.
(It's cool though, my parents never acted like they didn't want me.).
#33
According to Amazon, I'm in the top 1% of kindle readers. They keep track of these things and within the last couple years started sharing the info with users as seasonal "Achievements."
At the end of the Spring season, they sent out emails with the final data: from April 1st to June 31st I read:
74 days
For a total
193 hours.
I don't really have a social life. As though that wasn't clear enough from the stats
#34
I’m of the .002% of people with osteopoikilosis. This freaked the s**t out of me because when I was diagnosed the first thing the doctor said was “wow I’ve never seen this in anything but textbooks before”...
RaisedByCats 1 month ago
Osteopoikilosis is a benign, autosomal dominant, sclerosing (hardening) dysplasia of bone characterized by the presence of numerous bone islands in the skeleton. (Wikipedia)
#35
I'm one of around 1% of people directly related to Swedens great king Gustav Vasa, still living. I'm one of 100k people.
#36
I have AB- bloodtype. Less than 1% of the worlds population have it.
LynzCatastrophe 1 month ago
Welcome the rare population! My sister and I have it. Nobody else in our family does.
#38
Hyperhidrosis. Excessively sweaty arm pits for no reason. I could be sitting there completely at ease and sweat rolls down my sides from my pits. I have found a product to fix the issue however I know no one else who has the same issue personally.
#39
Not as interesting or cool as others but im in the 1% of the population that has no immunity to Rubella even though ive been vaccinated for it several time. Apparently some peoples bodies dont take to some vaccinations. Fine with everything else like mumps measels etc its just the rubella.
Ive also got type 2 duanes symdrone in my right eye. Duanes being a uncommon eye condition anyway, right eye being least common to have it in an type 2 the least common of its type out of the 3 types. Won the duanes lottery with that one.
FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 1 month ago (edited)
So I recently had to make sure all my vaccinations were current since I'm back in college and I'm in the medical field and will be starting our internship for our clinical hours, so these are mandatory requirements for most hospitals. After getting blood drawn to prove that I've already had many of these vaccines required, which would show the antibodies. Well I somehow was no longer immune to the measles but the mumps and rubella part of the MMR vaccine both came back as reactive for those antibodies, meaning I was immune to them still. I did have to get another MMR vaccine though, anyway. So I'm fully immune once again but I'm a little curious now just how long I'll stay immune this time.
#40
I held a 2nd place world record for the Mushroom Gorge time trial in mariokart Wii for 15 minutes.
Edit: thanks for all the replies! Didn’t know this would touch the hearts of many!
#41
I am diagnosed with Visual snow syndrome. Basically seeing through static. It may not be rare as thought but I am one of very few people to be formally diagnosed.
EDIT:
1) no this isn’t normal and sorry to all the people who found out they had VVS through my stupid Reddit comment lol
2) lots of ppl asked how I was diagnosed- I was at an eye specialist for an unrelated reason and he asked if I had any other concerns. I described my sight to him and he said that’s probably VVS. He referred me to a neurologist and she diagnosed me.
3) I don’t remember not seeing flickering dots. I’ve never done psychedelics. I was unaware d***s could worsen or cause it. Thanks for the warnings though! Definitely won’t be doing psychedelics now haha.
penguino (they/them) 1 month ago
lol makes ur bedroom looks like an analog tv horror show at night
#42
Infertile people. The people who can’t have children after a year of trying, for whom no treatment works, have no diagnosis to explain why, and end up the 1% of the 1% and move on to surrogacy/gestational carrier.
YakFactory 1 month ago
It took me and my husband nine years of trying to have our first child. He died at 5 weeks, and it took another 4 years until our second child was born. No, we didn't try again!
#43
As a Lithuanian I belong to a nationality that makes up 0.03% of the world population.
WindySwede 1 month ago
With 8.2 billions today, it's not that difficult to be under 1% of something. Beeing a Swede is something like 0,1%..
#44
Everyone is born with a space in the base of your skull, I have an enlarged space. The Dr called it an Enlarged *Cisterna Magna*.
Having it isn’t what makes me part of the 1%, it’s the fact that it hasn’t caused me any trouble or neurological issues that puts me there. It was only found when I had an MRI for migraines.
Edit: totally got the wrong wording. I’m sorry for misleading anyone, that came on the back of flu meds and little sleep.
I have stress induced migraines and hormonal ones too. Nothing to do with the lack of brain function, that just makes me a little dull 😁.
#45
Being deaf.
Only 0.22% (roughly 600k people) across all age groups in the US are deaf. More than half are over the age of 65. I've been profoundly deaf since birth, so I'm in an even smaller percent than 0.22%. Lmao
[Source](https://www.gallaudet.edu/office-of-international-affairs/demographics/deaf-employment-reports/).
The Starsong Princess 1 month ago
There’s significantly fewer deaf and blind people now that children are vaccinated against measles.
#46
Distance runners. My marathon PR is faster than 99% of marathon finishers world wide. That said, the distance from my time to the world record is about the same as from the 70th percentile to me.
#47
According to the census, my town is 1% black. So that means it's just me.
Edit: Woodstock, CT POP: 8221 The racial makeup of the town was 97.2% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.000001% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.
Steve Sharpe 1 month ago
In a town with 8,221 people, one person is not one percent of the population... and I'm also curious about the Pacific Islander resident, because unless they're an amoeba something has gone spectacularly wrong!
#48
Technically this is 2% but I have curly blonde hair I don’t really have a trait that’s 1%.
tabitha donnelly 1 month ago
My sister has that? I don't think it's that rare. I have curly ginger hair and green eyes I don't know how rare that is.
#50
Fewer than 1% of Americans have completed a full marathon, I have completed 10.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
This statistic is getting smaller every year, ever since they renamed the marathon chocolate bar to snickers.
What do you think ?
WindySwede 1 month ago
Approximately 0,0000000121951219512195% according to Excel
Load More Replies...
"Disembodied voice" 1 month ago
I've survived cpr outside of the hospital, also in the hospital but that's not as remarkable.
Sky Render 1 month ago
I've mentioned my biggest rarity before often, but... I was born with XX/XY chimerism, and also with a double genital tubercle. Both are very rare, but both simultaneously is so rare that there's no records of it ever happening. As an unusual side-effect of the chimerism, the two sets are different sexes, and both are fully functional. The doctors tried to seal away the female parts with a skin graft, likely believing that the parts would just "go away" somehow; they did not and that skin graft just gives me zero direct access to my female anatomy plus regular issues during periods.
WindySwede 1 month ago
Approximately 0,0000000121951219512195% according to Excel
Load More Replies... "Disembodied voice" 1 month ago
I've survived cpr outside of the hospital, also in the hospital but that's not as remarkable.
Sky Render 1 month ago
I've mentioned my biggest rarity before often, but... I was born with XX/XY chimerism, and also with a double genital tubercle. Both are very rare, but both simultaneously is so rare that there's no records of it ever happening. As an unusual side-effect of the chimerism, the two sets are different sexes, and both are fully functional. The doctors tried to seal away the female parts with a skin graft, likely believing that the parts would just "go away" somehow; they did not and that skin graft just gives me zero direct access to my female anatomy plus regular issues during periods.
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