When Rose Marie Bentley passed away at 99-years-old in late 2017, the Oregon grandmother — who enjoyed going to church and working at the local feed store she owned and operated with her husband — seemed to have lived a normal life. At least on the outside.
On the inside, it was a completely different story.
Prior to her death from natural causes on Oct. 12, 2017, the mother of five from Molalla decided to donate her body to science. But when medical students at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland cut it open to study, they were flabbergasted.
Her heart sat in the right place but her liver and other abdominal organs, which normally sit on the right side of the body, were on the left, USA Today reported. Bentley’s internal organs were completely reversed, like a mirror inside the body.
“When we looked at the organs of her abdominal cavity — which has the organs of the digestive tract — they were transposed entirely right to left,” Cameron Walker, an assistant professor of anatomy at Oregon Health and Science University, told USA Today.
“I’d never seen this before and the students were every bit as fascinated.”
The reason? Bentley suffered from a rare condition called situs inversus with levocardia, and scientists believe she is the oldest person to have the condition.
According to a study published in the Singapore Medical Journal, around 1 in 22,000 babies are born with the condition but Walker explained that only roughly one in 50 million live to adulthood, due to serious heart problems that often arise in sufferers.
Bentley apparently never even learned of her condition herself, despite having three organs removed in her lifetime. Only the surgeon who removed her appendix commented on its unusual placement in his notes, although relatives say she would have appreciated the attention.
“My mom would think this was so cool,” Bentley’s daughter, Louise Allee, said.
“She would be tickled pink that she could teach something like this. She would probably get a big smile on her face, knowing that she was different, but made it through.”
In addition to her five children, Bentley left behind 56 grandchildren — 14 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren, according to her obituary.
Her death is preceded by her husband James’. Together, they ran the Bentley Feed Store that they bought in 1959. She also worked at her local church and was a campfire leader for about 15 years.
