There's a documentary about Trevor Noah called You Laugh But It's True. It tells how he used his childhood experiences as fodder for an upcoming stand-up comedy show. Some of Noah's stories, growing up in apartheid South Africa, seem so far-fetched that they can't possibly be real. But as the saying goes, you can't make this sh*t up.
The former Daily Show host isn't the only one with life experiences that might have people wondering "What in the big, fat lie is this?" Many of us have personal anecdotes that could be construed as nothing short of a lie. But in reality, they are God's truth. Or so we claim. For real.
A curious person once asked, "What is something about yourself that is completely true but that nobody would believe?" and netizens didn't hold back. The question clocked over 8,000 comments, as people shared the things that "allegedly" happened to them. One person even told how the legendary Nelson Mandela walked them to school on a remote island in the Indian Ocean...
Bored Panda has gone through the responses to select the best and you'll find them below. Keep scrolling and feel free to add your own unbelievable tales in the comments section at the end.
#1
I technically kidnapped my would be mugger. Bought him breakfast, helped him through rehab, getting a job and eventually was the best man at his wedding.
He's been clean on the straight and narrow now for 10+ years.
zimtastic:
You've got to fill in some details on that story...
Kal_Lisk (OP):
I used to travel a lot for work, often in rough neighborhoods. One day while unloading my van, a guy came up with a knife and said, “Let’s make this quick.” I froze, forgot I was even carrying. As I reached for my wallet, I felt the gun and remembered, but he was close, and I thought I was going to get stabbed.
Then he stepped further into the space, and without thinking, I pulled the gun and said something dumb like “rock beats scissors.” He backed off, scared, and said he just wanted to leave. But I was suddenly furious ranting about how people like me are just trying to feed our families.
Turns out, he was strung out and desperate. Eventually, we agreed he’d drop the knife and leave. But instead, I offered him breakfast at the IHOP next door. Over pancakes, I found out I knew his brother. He was terrified his family would find out how far he'd fallen.
I told him if he wanted to get better, I’d help. He slipped a few times, but eventually went to rehab, then the gym, then got a job in HVAC. Now? He’s clean, married with kids, eats better than I do, and helps troubled teens. No one knows what he used to be.
You are who you are, not who you were.
He's been clean on the straight and narrow now for 10+ years.
zimtastic:
You've got to fill in some details on that story...
Kal_Lisk (OP):
I used to travel a lot for work, often in rough neighborhoods. One day while unloading my van, a guy came up with a knife and said, “Let’s make this quick.” I froze, forgot I was even carrying. As I reached for my wallet, I felt the gun and remembered, but he was close, and I thought I was going to get stabbed.
Then he stepped further into the space, and without thinking, I pulled the gun and said something dumb like “rock beats scissors.” He backed off, scared, and said he just wanted to leave. But I was suddenly furious ranting about how people like me are just trying to feed our families.
Turns out, he was strung out and desperate. Eventually, we agreed he’d drop the knife and leave. But instead, I offered him breakfast at the IHOP next door. Over pancakes, I found out I knew his brother. He was terrified his family would find out how far he'd fallen.
I told him if he wanted to get better, I’d help. He slipped a few times, but eventually went to rehab, then the gym, then got a job in HVAC. Now? He’s clean, married with kids, eats better than I do, and helps troubled teens. No one knows what he used to be.
You are who you are, not who you were.
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94points
I must admit that I'd never heard of the Cocos Islands before scrolling through this listicle. And when I read the story about Nelson Mandela walking some kid to school on that particular island, I was tempted to call bullsh*t.
But then I told myself that anything is possible and decided to do a little deep dive into this mythical land where famous people get off the plane to escort random children to class. Suddenly, I want to visit the Cocos Islands. As it turns out, it does exist, and it's gorgeous.
Also known as the Keeling Islands, the little piece of paradise belongs to Australia. It actually has a road called.... Wait for it... Nelson Mandela Walk. So perhaps the person's tale isn't so far-fetched after all.
#2
I never forget names or faces. Like ever. I realized this nearly two decades ago working at a telemarketing company. I never forgot a name and to this day can think of several names I encountered that stood out. Later I worked at a nightclub and one day this couple came in - we'll call them Steve and Mindy. We chatted for about a minute or two, three years later Mindy runs into the bar hollering that someone assaulted her boyfriend. I said "O no! Is Steve okay?". She looked at me like she's seen a ghost and I did think O, she's probably surprised I remember them. Later she asked how I could remember them and I just said that I never forget anyone I meet and have any substantial interaction with. I just don't forget names or faces ever. Almost 100% of the time they are permanently etched into my memory. Don't remember birthday or what day of the week it is and after six years still don't have my plates memorized but f**k it, if we met one time for five minutes twenty years ago, I still remember you. Weird but true.
freesteve28:
The perfect skill for a politician or a salesman.
freesteve28:
The perfect skill for a politician or a salesman.
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42points
#3
All my family has pretty cool middle names, and when people are like, 'What’s your full name?' I get to my middle name, which is Thunderstorm, and they just don’t believe me until I get someone in my family to back me up.
Edit: since a lot of you want the other middle names are: Morningstar, Firefly, Honeybee, and Still Water.
Edit 2: I forgot to mention I actually have two middle names, the other one is Liam.
Row199:
I have two co workers named Larry Justice and Luke Liberty and I swear to you on everything good in this world I’m not lying and it makes me happy every time I have a meeting with them.
Edit: since a lot of you want the other middle names are: Morningstar, Firefly, Honeybee, and Still Water.
Edit 2: I forgot to mention I actually have two middle names, the other one is Liam.
Row199:
I have two co workers named Larry Justice and Luke Liberty and I swear to you on everything good in this world I’m not lying and it makes me happy every time I have a meeting with them.
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38points
Many of us love a good story. So much so that sometimes we tend to believe just about anything, as long as it's told in a gripping and engaging way. "Stories persuade, at least in part, by disrupting the ability to evaluate facts, rather than just biasing a person to think positively," explains Rebecca Krause, who researches consumer psychology at Northwestern University.
Krause was interested in the interplay between facts, stories, and persuasion, so she and a colleague made up a fictitious brand of cell phone called Moonstone and selected 397 American adults to evaluate a set of either all strong or all weak facts about it. Half the group read only facts about the phone, while the other half read a story about the phone that had the facts embedded within it.
#4
I grew up on a tiny island, unrelated to Africa.
Nelson Mandela held my hand and walked me to school as his plane refuelled there.
Edit. Lots of questions on where this island was. It was cocos islands in the Indian Ocean back in the 90’s
Lots of people calling fake. I wouldn’t believe a stranger on the internet either, but I do have photos of me as an oblivious little kid trotting next to him like it’s no big deal. Kid me had no idea that my life had peaked at that moment.
Annonymous54386:
It sounds so fake but it's the kind of fake that's gotta be true somehow. Cause who would make something like that up. You know what I mean.
2xtreme21:
I believe it. It says on the Wiki page of the Cocos Islands that the airport was used for refueling flights between Australia and South Africa.
Super interesting place too! Would love to visit one day.
Nelson Mandela held my hand and walked me to school as his plane refuelled there.
Edit. Lots of questions on where this island was. It was cocos islands in the Indian Ocean back in the 90’s
Lots of people calling fake. I wouldn’t believe a stranger on the internet either, but I do have photos of me as an oblivious little kid trotting next to him like it’s no big deal. Kid me had no idea that my life had peaked at that moment.
Annonymous54386:
It sounds so fake but it's the kind of fake that's gotta be true somehow. Cause who would make something like that up. You know what I mean.
2xtreme21:
I believe it. It says on the Wiki page of the Cocos Islands that the airport was used for refueling flights between Australia and South Africa.
Super interesting place too! Would love to visit one day.
35points
#5
When I was in high school, a random new kid started stalking me. Like following me home from school, I’d see him outside my house, he’d stand by my locker at school. He was WEIRD. Told my counselor but they didn’t really believe me. Told a teacher I was close with and he talked to the principal. They said they’d “watch out”..
After about a week my boyfriend was pissed the school wasn’t helping me. He confronted this kid and they almost physically fought.
Finally, he got kicked out of school and about a month later, less than 3 miles from my house, he strangled a girl my age (who also went to my school) and dumped her body in a field.
MidnightAshley:
This hit home for me because a guy in my friend group started stalking me after he asked me out and I said I wasn't interested. He threatened to k**l us both in texts he sent to me and would follow me in the halls and wait for me by my classes, but no one did anything about it except my friend on the football team. My friend walked me to my classes and activities to make sure I was safe until the end of the year (this happened in May of our senior year). He was such a great friend. Don't know what happened to the stalker kid though, and I'm happy not to know.
After about a week my boyfriend was pissed the school wasn’t helping me. He confronted this kid and they almost physically fought.
Finally, he got kicked out of school and about a month later, less than 3 miles from my house, he strangled a girl my age (who also went to my school) and dumped her body in a field.
MidnightAshley:
This hit home for me because a guy in my friend group started stalking me after he asked me out and I said I wasn't interested. He threatened to k**l us both in texts he sent to me and would follow me in the halls and wait for me by my classes, but no one did anything about it except my friend on the football team. My friend walked me to my classes and activities to make sure I was safe until the end of the year (this happened in May of our senior year). He was such a great friend. Don't know what happened to the stalker kid though, and I'm happy not to know.
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35points
#6
I have been dreaming of a girl since I was a small child. She would appear in any dream I was having at the time and talk to me/play games. This happened almost daily for years until I was 12. I thought maybe she had been my wife in another life.
One day I told her that we couldn't see each other anymore and that I needed to move on with my life. She cried and I felt horrible as I said goodbye. I stopped dreaming of her after that and regretted it badly for the next 23 years.
3 years ago a woman that looks just like her walked up to me and said "We should be friends!" I don't think I have ever had anyone just tell me to be their friend out of the blue like this.
She is now currently my best friend and I look forward to every conversation we have. I have never met anyone that has mentally changed my outlook on life as much as her and I am so grateful to have met her.
One day I told her that we couldn't see each other anymore and that I needed to move on with my life. She cried and I felt horrible as I said goodbye. I stopped dreaming of her after that and regretted it badly for the next 23 years.
3 years ago a woman that looks just like her walked up to me and said "We should be friends!" I don't think I have ever had anyone just tell me to be their friend out of the blue like this.
She is now currently my best friend and I look forward to every conversation we have. I have never met anyone that has mentally changed my outlook on life as much as her and I am so grateful to have met her.
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35points
"The researchers found that when facts were weak, a story with the facts embedded within it led to greater persuasion than facts alone. But when facts were strong, the opposite effect occurred: facts alone led to more persuasion than a story with the facts embedded within it," explains Phys.org.
What this shows is that stories direct people away from weak information and reduce people's general processing of information. "As a consequence, stories help persuasion when facts are weak, but they hurt persuasion when facts are strong," reads the site.
#7
I can't tell faces apart and I can't picture people I know in my mind, not even close family members. If I try really hard the most I get is a very blurry image. If someone changes their hairstyle, or if I see them out of the context that I usually see them in, then I can't recognize them.
maleorderbride:
Reading the Wikipedia page:
Treatment
"Huh I didn't know that they had developed-"
There are no widely accepted treatments.
"Oh."
maleorderbride:
Reading the Wikipedia page:
Treatment
"Huh I didn't know that they had developed-"
There are no widely accepted treatments.
"Oh."
34points
#8
I married really young and my ex husband ended up k*lling several people during our marriage. I had to separate from my daughter for our protection because he was still at large. After nine years, I finally reconnected with her. People think I abandoned her but as long as she knows differently, that's all that matters. We're safe and out of his reach now, and I couldn't be happier.
Edit to add: He was finally apprehended two years ago, and immediately after I was reunited with my daughter. I didn't abandon her, we were forced to separate for our protection and had to move far away from our little house. I didn't know where she was and she couldn't know where I went. I honestly never thought I'd get to see her again, so just having her in my life again is a miracle. I don't know why he did the things he's done, but I take comfort in the fact he is now in prison and his appeals have been denied. May he rot in there for every single life he's destroyed, including the childhood my daughter should've had.
LDG192:
Holy s**t! What caused him to go berserk like that?
cannibal87 (OP):
Stress and dr*gs. He wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen prior, but I lacked self worth and common sense as a teen and thought he was a key to freedom. We married and it went to hell instantly. Once we had our own house, it got even worse. Then random strangers would bang on my front door late into the night and he'd be irate long after they left. I don't know what all he was involved with, but it destroyed what little bit of humanity that he had left and he turned into an absolute monster with no regard to consequences.
Edit to add: He was finally apprehended two years ago, and immediately after I was reunited with my daughter. I didn't abandon her, we were forced to separate for our protection and had to move far away from our little house. I didn't know where she was and she couldn't know where I went. I honestly never thought I'd get to see her again, so just having her in my life again is a miracle. I don't know why he did the things he's done, but I take comfort in the fact he is now in prison and his appeals have been denied. May he rot in there for every single life he's destroyed, including the childhood my daughter should've had.
LDG192:
Holy s**t! What caused him to go berserk like that?
cannibal87 (OP):
Stress and dr*gs. He wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen prior, but I lacked self worth and common sense as a teen and thought he was a key to freedom. We married and it went to hell instantly. Once we had our own house, it got even worse. Then random strangers would bang on my front door late into the night and he'd be irate long after they left. I don't know what all he was involved with, but it destroyed what little bit of humanity that he had left and he turned into an absolute monster with no regard to consequences.
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30points
#9
I am unwell. Mental health is that secret stalker that will attack you constantly and no-one would know. Suffering with depression and an eating disorder is secretive and no-one would be able to tell that anything is wrong. It sucks!
30points
"Knowing that stories may provide the most persuasive benefit to those with the least compelling arguments could be important given concerns about fake news," says Krause.
"But this does not mean a story is indicative of weak facts," she added. "Rather, when you feel especially compelled by a great story you might want to give more thought and consideration to the facts to determine how good they are."
#10
I died once as a baby.... i only survived because my mother heard an audible voice in her ear to 'check the baby' ... no one else in the car said anything or heard the voice.
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30points
#11
I jumped out from a moving bus to escape kidnapping.
jimmymd77:
I asked a dazed and scared looking young woman at a fast food restaurant if she needed help and she said yes, she wanted to know where she was. She'd just been dumped in the parking lot by some guy who'd kept her against her will for the past day.
Luckily my teenage daughters were with me. They helped make her feel safe going with us to the police station (offered hospital, too, but she refused).
I did not doubt her but any question of her story was erased when we got to the station, which was closed. I called 911 and before I could even explain the situation to dispatch, several police cars pulled up, surrounding my car.
Turns out she had been reported missing and in danger so the cops had been trying to triangulate where her phone was. The phone was dead, so while we were driving to the station, I let the young woman borrow my car charger. She kept trying to turn it on, but the charger was so slow her phone kept shutting off again. The cops were following the pings each time the phone turned on.
jimmymd77:
I asked a dazed and scared looking young woman at a fast food restaurant if she needed help and she said yes, she wanted to know where she was. She'd just been dumped in the parking lot by some guy who'd kept her against her will for the past day.
Luckily my teenage daughters were with me. They helped make her feel safe going with us to the police station (offered hospital, too, but she refused).
I did not doubt her but any question of her story was erased when we got to the station, which was closed. I called 911 and before I could even explain the situation to dispatch, several police cars pulled up, surrounding my car.
Turns out she had been reported missing and in danger so the cops had been trying to triangulate where her phone was. The phone was dead, so while we were driving to the station, I let the young woman borrow my car charger. She kept trying to turn it on, but the charger was so slow her phone kept shutting off again. The cops were following the pings each time the phone turned on.
29points
#12
My nightmares, after my father was m******d, were cured by a shaman in the Amazon jungle.
AncientGrapefruit:
Full story please.
TOMSDOTTIR:
I started having regular frightening nightmares after my father was m***ered in 2005. They usually took the form of another member of my family being m***ered in front of me, and were so scary that I'd wake myself up, making those awful gurgling noises you make when you're trying to scream. This went on for months. My husband and I went on vacation to Venezuela later that year to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We were staying at a place called Canaima, and from there, made a trip into the jungle. The guide asked if we'd like to meet the local shaman. He was just a little guy in his 40s wearing a pair of football shorts who answered our questions through a translator. We were about to leave when the guide said, "any more questions?". I said, " Can you get rid of nightmares?" and he said yes. He got me to sit on a tree stump and made up a fermented drink which I couldn't take as I don't drink alcohol. He lit some tobacco leaves ( they smelled lovely! Nothing like cigarettes) and paced around me, chanting and covering me with smoke. I didn't feel any different during or after, and I didn't believe it was going to work, but I never had another of those nightmares.
AncientGrapefruit:
Full story please.
TOMSDOTTIR:
I started having regular frightening nightmares after my father was m***ered in 2005. They usually took the form of another member of my family being m***ered in front of me, and were so scary that I'd wake myself up, making those awful gurgling noises you make when you're trying to scream. This went on for months. My husband and I went on vacation to Venezuela later that year to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We were staying at a place called Canaima, and from there, made a trip into the jungle. The guide asked if we'd like to meet the local shaman. He was just a little guy in his 40s wearing a pair of football shorts who answered our questions through a translator. We were about to leave when the guide said, "any more questions?". I said, " Can you get rid of nightmares?" and he said yes. He got me to sit on a tree stump and made up a fermented drink which I couldn't take as I don't drink alcohol. He lit some tobacco leaves ( they smelled lovely! Nothing like cigarettes) and paced around me, chanting and covering me with smoke. I didn't feel any different during or after, and I didn't believe it was going to work, but I never had another of those nightmares.
28points
#13
Both of my parents have a twin sister named Jenny.
IKWJZN:
Are they by any chance triplets from Alabama?
extraspookyy (OP):
Wait... I have never met the other Jenny. What if one of the Jenny’s doesn’t exist and they are just sis-
screams internally
IKWJZN:
Are they by any chance triplets from Alabama?
extraspookyy (OP):
Wait... I have never met the other Jenny. What if one of the Jenny’s doesn’t exist and they are just sis-
screams internally
27points
#14
G**g members tried to rob me and I told them no.
I was alone in downtown Minneapolis and two Bloods tried to rob me but I laughed and said “I don’t have money on me because so many people see a skinny white guy and try to rob me.” (I was lying and I don’t know why I reacted that way).
One of them stared at me for like 5 seconds then said “Ok, you’re cool” and they walked away. Minneapolis doesn’t have (nearly as much of) a g**g problem now, but definitely did then. This happened when there was a parking lot across 7th St from First Ave (the club where Purple Rain was partly filmed).
More detail if you want it: the first one asked for money and I said I didn’t have cash. The 2nd appeared out of *nowhere*, like suddenly his face was right next to mine and he said “I don’t think you heard him. He *said* he wants your money.”.
froglover215:
My aunt was a school librarian. Years ago she attended a conference in Los Angeles for school librarians. Several of them walked away from where the conference was being held so they could get lunch. Some guy tried to rob them at knifepoint but the librarian in the lead just laughed and said, "We're school librarians, we don't have any money" and kept walking. The librarians behind her didn't even know what had just happened and looked at the guy curiously as they walked by.
I was alone in downtown Minneapolis and two Bloods tried to rob me but I laughed and said “I don’t have money on me because so many people see a skinny white guy and try to rob me.” (I was lying and I don’t know why I reacted that way).
One of them stared at me for like 5 seconds then said “Ok, you’re cool” and they walked away. Minneapolis doesn’t have (nearly as much of) a g**g problem now, but definitely did then. This happened when there was a parking lot across 7th St from First Ave (the club where Purple Rain was partly filmed).
More detail if you want it: the first one asked for money and I said I didn’t have cash. The 2nd appeared out of *nowhere*, like suddenly his face was right next to mine and he said “I don’t think you heard him. He *said* he wants your money.”.
froglover215:
My aunt was a school librarian. Years ago she attended a conference in Los Angeles for school librarians. Several of them walked away from where the conference was being held so they could get lunch. Some guy tried to rob them at knifepoint but the librarian in the lead just laughed and said, "We're school librarians, we don't have any money" and kept walking. The librarians behind her didn't even know what had just happened and looked at the guy curiously as they walked by.
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24points
#15
When I was younger I was river tubing with some family. Stupid me forgot to bring eye drops for my contacts, and one popped out into the water.
Later we come to a shallow end, and this little girl FINDS MY CONTACT!!! Like, what are the odds?!
In case you're wondering, yes I popped it back in.
Looking back I don't know what the bigger miracle is,
Losing a contact in a river, and finding it again.
OR
Not getting my eye infected when I put it back in.
Brittewater:
My husband lost his wedding ring in the ocean. It was a very rough day and the waves were relentless. He lost it when he tossed something to his son and the ring went flying off his finger. He spent the next 5 minutes in a full panic trying to find it. Right when he gave up, he spotted it on the ground about 2ft away from him.
newlyentrepreneur:
Lost mine while skydiving. Did not find it later.
Later we come to a shallow end, and this little girl FINDS MY CONTACT!!! Like, what are the odds?!
In case you're wondering, yes I popped it back in.
Looking back I don't know what the bigger miracle is,
Losing a contact in a river, and finding it again.
OR
Not getting my eye infected when I put it back in.
Brittewater:
My husband lost his wedding ring in the ocean. It was a very rough day and the waves were relentless. He lost it when he tossed something to his son and the ring went flying off his finger. He spent the next 5 minutes in a full panic trying to find it. Right when he gave up, he spotted it on the ground about 2ft away from him.
newlyentrepreneur:
Lost mine while skydiving. Did not find it later.
24points
#16
When I (24M) was 7 my parents were housing some young film makers and they had Steve Buscemi over for dinner. Really really nice guy, just as everyone says.
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24points
#17
I have crippling social anxiety but am also very charismatic so people very rarely believe me.
23points
#18
In 1982 I met and had a long conversation with Joe Perry the guitarist for Aerosmith in a bar. I told him what kind of guitar I was playing at the time. He said he had one somewhere up north at a girlfriends house but never played it. I told him he should find it. A few months later his new album came out and he was holding the guitar. In 1996 I jammed onstage with Tommy Chong.
tthat:
About 10 years ago, I got drunk with the drummer and guitar player from Mudvayne. The night before the show, my buddy called me and told me they were staying at the hotel where his gf tended bar. I headed down there, and within 30 mins had struck up a conversation with them. Went outside for a smoke a few times, ended up having a couple PBRs on the bus. Matt, the drummer, got pretty crazy once he was drunk! There was a truck sitting close to the bus in the parking lot across the street from the hotel. He decided he wanted to break the window and hotwire it for a joyride! I told him, DUDE, I drive by here every day otw to work. This truck has been here for 6 months! The battery is dead. Don't f**k s**t up just to f**k it up! I don't have a lawyer on retainer! He was like, that's good advice man! Let's just wander around! It was a good time! The show the next night was k*ller too!
tthat:
About 10 years ago, I got drunk with the drummer and guitar player from Mudvayne. The night before the show, my buddy called me and told me they were staying at the hotel where his gf tended bar. I headed down there, and within 30 mins had struck up a conversation with them. Went outside for a smoke a few times, ended up having a couple PBRs on the bus. Matt, the drummer, got pretty crazy once he was drunk! There was a truck sitting close to the bus in the parking lot across the street from the hotel. He decided he wanted to break the window and hotwire it for a joyride! I told him, DUDE, I drive by here every day otw to work. This truck has been here for 6 months! The battery is dead. Don't f**k s**t up just to f**k it up! I don't have a lawyer on retainer! He was like, that's good advice man! Let's just wander around! It was a good time! The show the next night was k*ller too!
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22points
#19
I switched my handedness from Right to Left and I am now left handed.
wholebeef:
My dad did that. Granted it was involuntary, he broke his right arm as a kid and his teacher gave him no exemptions or assistance. So he had to learn to write with his left. Now he's left handed with a hint a ambidextrousness.
wholebeef:
My dad did that. Granted it was involuntary, he broke his right arm as a kid and his teacher gave him no exemptions or assistance. So he had to learn to write with his left. Now he's left handed with a hint a ambidextrousness.
21points
#20
If people know I'm dyspraxic, they have a hard time believing I go to Oxford. If they know I go to Oxford, they have a hard time believing I'm dyspraxic. Yes, you can be disabled AND clever, who knew.
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21points