When we think of the least probable things, we would think of winning the lottery. Another example we could think of would be some obscurely specific events like driving through a city center and always encountering every traffic light in green. However, the most improbable can also happen in the most mundane situations of life.
In a Reddit thread by u/–SharkBoy–, the community was asked about their “1 in a million” experiences. The members shared their heartfelt and surprising stories that would make everyone’s minds blow up with their insane chances. Scroll down for their stories below and tell us which one is the most surprising for you!
More info: Reddit
#1
Image source: DawgzCookie, thiago japyassu
I once guessed a 6 digit random combination on the first try. It was the only try I planned to give, as a kind of scratchpad whatever moment.
#2
A bullet was deflected away from my heart by a novelty dog tag I wore. Skipped sideways through my chest instead, missing every vital organ, bone or artery. Exited my chest and lodged in my arm. Was in the hospital for a couple hours and released with bandages and pieces of the bullet still inside me.
Source: Samwellikki
#3
Image source: anon, Michał Mancewicz
I was struck by lightning while talking on a landline. This was in the early 90s. Lightning struck the telephone line and traveled through the handset to my ear.
My parents drove me to the ER. I couldn’t talk very well. My brain knew what I wanted to say, but my mouth didn’t want to say it. I had a terrible stutter.
My doctor told me that I had had a ‘dose of good, old fashioned electro-shock therapy’. My speech was normal the next day, but I get a terrible headache whenever a thunderstorm comes through.
#4
Image source: Delanorix, Artyom Kulakov
I was in 2 separate car crashes in 2 separate cars in less than 45 minutes apart.
I wasn’t the driver for either crash.
First car was hit from the side. Friend came and picked us up, car lost traction and we slid off the road and hit a pole.
Neither was that bad, just poor timing.
#5
Image source: anon, Lux Graves
I slept wrong one night and pinched a nerve in my neck so severely I lost the right side of my body, it just went silent like it wasn’t there for months. I woke up in the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and couldn’t talk, move or do anything. The ER doctor thought I was having a stroke.
My doctor had never seen a case as severe as mine and it was purely a freak accident. Recovery took months but I have use of my leg and hand again, with some numbness. Other than pain and spasms I’m mostly back to normal.
#6
Idk if this counts but i have died. One night around 11 pm i was trying to fall asleep but was just too hungry. I had just taken sleeping meds so i tried to cook some food fast before they kicked in. Unfortunately when I went to eat I accidentally aspirated a bunch of it and passed out. Everyone in my house was asleep but amazingly my sister just so happened to go to the bathroom at 3am and saw my light on underneath my door so she decided to investigate. She found me on the ground in full code and blue as a blueberry. She called 911 and they walked her through CPR. When the first responders arrived I was still in full code for another 2 and a half minutes but eventually was brought back. I spent 3 days in a coma and like 10 days in the ICU. If she wouldnt have gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night i wouldnt be typing this.
Source: anon
#7
Image source: InNeedOfFriend, Ante Samarzija
I was diagnoses with leukemia i got a bacteria growth which killed the leukemia, a real 1 in 1,000,000 chance
#8
Image source: erieberie, Ivan Samkov
Had two 11cm benign tumours growing in my spine, resulting in gradual paralysis from my chest down. They had no idea how the tumours formed. Surgery took 11 hours when they thought it would take 4 because the tumours were so complexly woven throughout my spine. I now have pretty much half a spine and chronic pain but I’d take that over losing my life from paralysis and being unable to breathe.
#9
Image source: yusenye, wikimedia.commons
No sure about the odds on this one, but I survived a “non-survivable” plane crash. I was on an old po-2 (famous for being very safe and uncrushable) on a tour of the desert in western China when I was like 7, my father’s friend who hosted me and piloted the plane didn’t survive but somehow I got out with a concussion and apparently passed out for almost a day In the middle of the dessert, in the wreckage of the crash, 50 km from the town/airport, on the edge of the desert. The people who found me were some tree planters (they plant greens in the desert to protect towns from sandstorm, a lot of people live in these desert towns in China do this) found me on there way picking up a shipment, and the only reason they looked was bc they were making a bet on how fast the egg would cook in the sand and went off the road to test.
So, according to my dads, the theory that I might have lived was because the plane was mostly made out of fabrics and wood. So when the plane crashed, the front half collapsed and took the majority of the impact. Though I got knocked out, I was probably covered under the wreckage and in the shades, it cooled me off enough to survive for a day or so!
#10
Image source: CaptchaGremlin, Denys Gromov
For my seventh birthday we went to Disneyland.
They just happened to be having a car a day giveaway when we were there.
For my seventh birthday, Mickey Mouse gave me a pontiac firebird.
#11
Image source: Sooodun, Pixabay
Got a rare but potentially deadly rash from a medication. I laughed when I first saw the bottle with the warning, and said knowing my luck I’d get it.
I did. Ended up in a burn unit with my skin sloughing off 🙁 not a fun week.
#12
Image source: tysonedwards, MART PRODUCTION
I was kidnapped when leaving work and held for 18 months, along with two other girls. The guy who took us claimed himself to be an ineffable lower god, and used cult tactics, manipulation and control to have us be his family. I was allowed to leave to the grocery store as an errand, but knew if I didn’t come back the others would receive my punishment. I finally got away by stabbing my captor when I believed he was going to kill me.
#13
Image source: Dominusatrox, Stanley Morales
How I met my wife.
I’m from the Netherlands, she is from the US. We met in Israel.
It was my first weekend in Israel, decided to go on a pub crawl to meet some people and have fun, as I’m buying the ticket my now wife walks up to the counter to also buy a ticket. The girl working there introduces us, we hit it off the first night but I’m leaving in 2 days to stay with friends of friends in the middle of the desert for 3 months.
2 days after I leave I lose my phone, don’t have any way to get back in touch with her. I had little money and could stay/work with the people in the desert. But I kept thinking about her so after a week I say I’m leaving. Take the next bus (goes 3 times a week, at 5am) and then a train to Tel Aviv. I had no idea how to find her, where to stay and very little money.
I email a couple hostels to find a work/stay agreement, those jobs are very popular and usually planned months in advance.
I get an email back when I arrive in Tel Aviv, I can come in for an interview because they have a spot (this is already ridiculously lucky).
Right after the interview and dropping of my belongings. I went back to the first hostel to see if they would give me information, they wouldn’t give me anything.
Now I’m at a loss, Tel Aviv is a city of more than half a million people, I don’t know anyone and have little more than the clothes on my back.
Kind of defeated I start wandering around/exploring the city. After a couple hours I get hungry and decide to treat myself to a restaurant. I’m well out of the tourist area and find a place that’s almost empty and rather cheap. I sit down, order a drink and something to eat. As I get my food I see my now wife walking past the restaurant, she sees me I see her. I’m literally dumb struck and just kind of grin and wave (remember how I lost my phone? She didn’t know that and just thought I ignored her) she waves and keeps walking. I throw like 200 shekels (way too much) in the table and sprint after her, explained and the rest is history.
#14
When I was 13, a friend and I got into a BB gun war. He put 2 BBs in the chamber and pumped it a bunch of times (breaking the traditional rules of warfare). He shot me in the face and both BBs hit an eyebrow (one per side) and ricocheted off my orbital bones into my eye sockets…again, one in each eye. I could feel them rubbing against the back of my eyes and went through 2 hours of surgery to have them removed. To this day, I’ve maintained perfect eyesight.
Navy SEAL sniper couldn’t make that shot twice. So believe them when they say “you’ll shoot your eye out”…sometimes both of them.
Source: cro0kedFingersss
#15
Image source: Rainingwaen, Rainingwaen
I have symmetric bilateral coloboma of the iris and retina! Essentially, my pupils are shaped like keyholes instead of circles. A single coloboma is pretty rare, double coloboma is even more rare, and double symmetrical… well, you get it.
#16
Image source: anon, Natanael Melchor
I am a 19 year old male. In August of last year, I was driving with my sister, when suddenly her face turned cold. “Gavin your eyes are yellow”, I remember her saying. I quickly pulled down the passengers mirror, and to my horror, two yellow eyes radiated back at me.
Fast forward, I spent a month being sick, the initial diagnosis was Hepatitis A.
Went back to the doctor, nothing was better(things were worse in fact). Was sent to the ER, then to the liver transplant unit at UCSF. By this point my eyes had turned muddy orange, and my pee was the color of… a mahogany tree.
Anyways, the team of liver doctors at UCSF managed to save my liver. I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. Oh, and my eyes are white again 🙂
#17
Image source: IAdventureTimeI, IAdventureTimeI
I had 8 wisdom teeth, the dentist had never seen anything like it and called the whole office in to marvel at my teeth.
#18
Image source: sunglasses619, Joey Nicotra
I have the rarest type of synesthesia, lexical-gustatory. It means I taste words.
#19
I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on my 12th birthday. It turned out that my sister was almost an identical match for the bone marrow transplant I needed (99.7%) and she is 14 years older than me. From what I was told this type of match can only be found with identical twins. A year later after remission I developed a disease (GVHD) because of the bone marrow transplant I received . The same thing that saved my life also made the rest of it extremely difficult…….but I’m still here.
Source: emoney342
#20
Technically only 1 in 530,000 but I won $75,000 from a scratchie. Gave half to my friend who was with me at the time.
Source: MagicalMuffinMan
