(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Michelle Mack was born with only half her brain, but she has managed to live a normal life and amaze doctors.The left hemisphere of Mack's brain was almost completely destroyed by a stroke she suffered in her mother's womb, according to PBS , which featured her story in its series "Scientific American." Despite having difficulty as a child, Mack, 37, has been able to speak normally, graduate from high school and even display a great memory.
Throughout her childhood and early adult years, no one knew the extent of Mack's condition. "It was very hard for me," Mack told CNN . "It was very hard for me growing up. No one knew the truth about my brain."
Then, 10 years ago, doctors finally diagnosed the problem. "We were surprised to see the extent of the lesion in her brain, which basically took away the left side of her brain," said Dr. Jordan Grafman, chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section at the National Institutes of Health.
After discovering Mack's condition, doctors were stunned to find that the right side of her brain had essentially rewired itself to make up for function that was likely lost during the pre-birth stroke.
Mack still struggles with some intellectual functions, but she's able to live independetly, working from home doing data entry for her church.
Brandi Binder , a 25-year-old woman from Michigan, has thrived despite having half her brain removed when she was 13 to treat Rasmussen's encephalitis. Doctors in China were also amazed to find a 39-year-old woman who has lived a normal life with just half a brain .
source: myfoxatlanta.com