When we hear about “disease”, we automatically conjure up images of bedridden people being treated to get better. The word is associated, for good reasons, to sickness and deterioration of health. In some very rare instances, however, diseases have shown to provide those affected by it with superman-like abilities. Here are 5 of them.
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A Bulletproof Will
Individuals who have been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, despite being more prone to heart attacks and a little bit slower in their development than others, are also known to show indomitable optimism. When most folks would break down in tears after a bad twist of fate, someone with Williams Syndrome will still find a way to smile at life and get back on her feet. Very social and cheerful, people with this condition also demonstrate a huge talent for music.
Herculean Strength
With this condition, the bearer will see an abnormal ability to gain muscle and lose fat. Even though very few instances of myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy have been reported, the subjects that were studied showed enormous strength and a metabolism so fast that no fat had time to stick to the frame. And maybe the best part about this condition is that it all seems to come without a single side-effect!
The Creativity of a Genius
When syphilis enters its third stage (often decades after the person has first been infected), the bacteria will finally reach the brain and enter the neurons. At that point, something extremely peculiar happens: people will start experiencing extreme surge of creativity. The senses start mixing together and you hallucinate music, see colors and light totally differently… It’s under that stage that Van Gogh, Wilhelm Reich and Beethoven, amongst others, created their most beautiful pieces. The only annoying detail about neurosyphilis is that you’ll probably die from it.
No Pain, No Cries
If you are to be a super hero, you need to be able to withstand pain. People with congenital insensitivity to pain can do even better than that: they don’t feel it at all! You could be swinging a baseball bat at their legs, pounding with a hammer at their hands or even let your dog bite their butt off, they would not budge. Now, considering that this condition doesn’t come with the super healing abilities that should normally accompany it, people with this insensitivity need to be extra careful as they’re more prone to worsening their injuries as they can’t rely on that feedback.
Mental Super Powers
It could be an ability to remember everything you ever read in your life or to learn and speak a new language after studying it for only a few days, true savants do exist in our world, even if it often comes at a price (deficiencies in other areas.) Some savants, however, are fully functional and can lead a totally normal life, despite their super power. If people were generally born with their gift, you can also acquire it later on… often after being hit on the head. Now, that would make an evil power for a super villain, wouldn’t it?
