Woman born with half a brain functions fine, sets sights on acting, rehab

Surviving after having half of your brain removed is certainly nothing new -- I'm living proof of the heights of success one can achieve while running on half-empty. But a woman in China tops all those people who had to pay to surgically halve their brains by sporting an all-natural, double-d, half-brain.

The Chinese woman only discovered she had half a brain when she went to the doctor with complaints of "feeling weak." That must've been an epic day at the clinic for Dr. Zhang -- can you imagine the amount of people he had to forward that first "dude, get this!" email to?

The woman, who hails from scenic Wuhan City, only went to the doctor because she was feeling "weak and stiff." In a vibrant display of House-ian brilliance, Dr. Zhang Lihong went way beyond the usual diagnoses of chronic fatigue and "needs sleep," straight on to "has half a brain."

"On the MRI scans we were surprised to see that she only has grey matter on the right side." "Our usual understanding is that the left brain controls language. But this patient has no problem communicating with people."

The woman's mother said her daughter lives a very normal life.

"She graduated from high school with good marks. Her memory is very good. She remembers phone numbers and names immediately."

Well, of course her mother says that. I can barely get dressed in the morning or go to the bathroom by myself, but my mom tells everyone I'm a Nobel Prize-winning sciencetician. Thanks, mom!

Woman with half a brain (Ananova)