A man, Moses Gibson, from Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States, has undergone a leg surgery to add five inches to his height after struggling to talk to women for years due to self-doubt about his stature.
Gibson said he had been insecure about his height since he was 15 years old, after witnessing other boys his age go through growth spurts that he did not, Daily Mail reports on Wednesday.
He tried medications and even contacted a ‘spiritual healer’ online who claimed to be able to help him in a desperate attempt to grow taller.
Gibson eventually decided to have surgery to increase his height after all other options failed.
Speaking of his struggles with his height, he said, “I’ve struggled with my height. Even when I was in high school, I was always unhappy with my height.
“When I was like 15, I realised most of my peers were taller than me. It started getting to me gradually.”
He learned about a procedure that could lengthen his legs, and he began working extra hours to save up enough money for the surgery during college.
After working as a software engineer during the day and as an Uber driver at night for three years, he underwent surgery to add three inches to his height in 2016, but seven years later has had a second round and is using a height lengthening device.
Doctors broke Gibson’s tibia and fibula bones and inserted magnetic, limb-lengthening nails into them.
He must now use a height-lengthening device three times per day, pulling the cut bones apart one millimeter at a time.