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In the fall of 2014, a new mother in Texas was trying hard to concentrate on fastening the buckles of her six-month-old daughter's car seat.

But her mind was still very much focused on the doctor's appointment they had just left.

It was supposed to have been a fairly routine checkup to examine her baby's eyes.

More as a precaution than anything else.

But the appointment did not turn out the way she expected.

After finally securing her baby into her car seat,

the mother's hands wouldn't stop trembling as she pulled out her phone to call her husband.

When he picked up, he lightheartedly asked her how the appointment went.

Did their baby girl want glasses or contacts, sort of making a joke?

But she cut him off, remembering how the doctor had looked at her when he gave her the terrible news.

She told her husband the time for jokes was now over.

She said their daughter didn't just have bad eyesight.

She had a serious condition, a condition that could kill her before her first birthday. From Ballin Studios and Wondry, I'm Mr. Ballin and this is Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries,

where every week we will explore a new baffling mystery originating from the one place we all can't escape,

our own bodies. So, if you like today's story, please offer to make the follow button some popcorn.

But after you place the bag in the microwave, set the timer for an hour and then just walk away.

You've been through one diet after another, maybe for years.

You've counted calories, pushed through workouts, cut carbs, and still the weight came back.

It's exhausting.

You've been told it's about willpower, but really, it's about science.

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