Easy To Learn: Most Shocking Health Stories of 2010

Maria Imelda, Medan. Baby Smokes 40 Cigarettes a Day but Manages to Quit
Two-year-old Indonesian toddler Aldi Suganda soared to international fame when a video of him chain-smoking cigarettes went viral. The pudgy toddler was filmed expertly holding a cigarette between his index and middle finger and exhaling. Soon, people from around the world were in an uproar, and the story expanded:

The kid really did have a habit to the tune of 40 cigarettes a day and threw violent temper tantrums when he couldn't get his fix. His fish merchant parents had allowed Aldi to wander the market as they worked. One day, they found their then 11-month-old smoking "like an adult," according to his mother. Anti-smoking organizations note that while Aldi's case is dramatic, many children in Indonesia smoke due to the government's lack of health education and lax oversight of tobacco company advertising. After news crews arrived at their door, Aldi's parents enrolled the child in a smoking cessation program. In September, officials announced that Aldi had quit smoking.

Chilean Miners Survive 69 Days Below Ground

Maria Imelda, Medan. On August 5, the historically unstable San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile caved in while 33 miners were working. The miners were widely assumed dead, but on August 22, a note was pulled up through a borehole: We are OK in the refuge, the 33 said. Against all odds, the men were alive 2,000 feet below the surface. But it could take several months to reach them. From then on, the miners, who had spent 17 days rationing out spoonfuls of tuna fish and milk, captivated the world with their remarkable survival skills and discipline. For more than two months, they lived in a 165-square-foot cavern below the earth as Chilean President Sebastian Pinera called in experts from across the world to assist in the delicate rescue process. Using a thin tube to send supplies like nutrient-packed gels, food, water, medication, oxygen, and even empanadas and cigarettes, doctors and health officials nursed the men back to health. Psychologists above monitored the miners and talked to them about their anxiety and fear on a telephone. On October 12, as the entire world tuned in, the miners ascended one by one in a special capsule over the course of 24 hours. Three miners had immediate surgery for dental problems, while others were treated for tooth infections and corneal problems. One miner recovered from pneumonia, while two others had a respiratory condition from breathing in silica dust. But all expect a full physical recovery.

Bret Michaels' Brain Hemorrhage

Maria Imelda, Medan -- former Poison lead singer and bandanna-wearing reality TV star -- was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Just two weeks later on April 23, the rocker began complaining of an excruciating headache after a day of vomiting. In fact, the headache was a symptom of a massive brain hemorrhage, which landed Michaels in the ICU in critical condition. Michaels, a diabetic, emerged from the ordeal in good sprits, blogging that there were "hot nurses taking care of me." Then on May 2, Michaels felt numbness and pain on a side of his body and was diagnosed with a hole in his heart, which is treatable. Since his release from the hospital, Michaels has reconciled with his on-again, off-again girlfriend and the mother of his children. The man who has made a career of being a player says he's considering marriage because he feels he has been given a "second chance."