Jo Cameron is a retired teacher who lives in Inverness in northeast Scotland, near Loch Ness. But there’s a monster she has seldom encountered: pain.

The 76-year-old has a rare genetic mutation that means she feels virtually no physical discomfort, heals faster, and experiences far less anxiety than most folks. In the entire world, only a handful of people have those genetic traits.

For much of her life, Cameron thought she was just like everybody else. But a couple of broken bones barely slowed her down. She found childbirth “quite enjoyable, really”, and there were times when she only realized she was burning herself in the kitchen because she could smell her own seared flesh.

Though her condition sounds enviable, there are complications. “It would be nice to have a warning when something’s wrong,” she told the BBC. “I didn’t know my hip was gone until it was really gone. I physically couldn’t walk with my arthritis.”

It was only after she underwent serious hand surgery that medical officials sensed something was different.

When her doctor found out she didn’t need painkillers, and had never used them, he sent her to pain geneticists at University College London where specialists checked her DNA to see what made her so special.

They found two mutations that suppress pain, encourage happiness, and heal wounds faster with little scarring, though they also lead to episodes of forgetfulness. Simply put, the genetic irregularities act as a........

© Sarnia Observer