US man spends $170,000 on painful surgery to grow taller by 5 inches

A 41-year-old man in the US underwent painful surgery to grow five inches (12.7 centimeters) after feeling insecure about his height.

Moses Gibson, originally 5 foot 5 inches, struggled to find a girlfriend because of his height, he was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

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“I just didn’t feel good about myself. I was unhappy about it most of the time,” the Minnesota resident was quoted as saying, adding that he was subject to “heightism.”

“It was my self-confidence in general, and with the ladies. It affected my dating life. I used to put things in my shoes to gain a little bit of height, but it wasn’t very much,” he was quoted as saying by the US daily.

After initially turning to medication and a spiritual healer, which both failed, he started saving for the leg lengthening surgery.

Gibson saved $75,000 by working as a software engineer during the day and an Uber driver by night.

He underwent the first surgery in 2016, where he gained 3 inches, making him 5 foot and 8 inches.

He said, while he was happy, he was not content.

“After the first procedure, I was happy with it to some extent, but it was always in my mind that I wanted to do a second one to complete it,” he reportedly said.
“I’m a high achiever. I’ve got the money and I can finish the journey,” Gibson was quoted as saying.

In March 2023, he gathered $98,000 and paid it toward another lengthening surgery. He hopes to add two more inches to his height.

During this procedure, doctors reportedly broke the tibia and fibula bones and screwed magnetic, limb-lengthening nails into them. He was put on powerful medication to cope with the pain.

Gibson has to use a height-lengthening device three times a day in order to pull the cut bone apart a millimeter at a time. Used correctly, he will be 5 foot 10 inches by June, the doctors reportedly said.

“After the first surgery, I became less hesitant and less worried about the result when talking to women. I now have a girlfriend,” he “proudly proclaimed,” according to the New York Post. “I also started wearing shorts and taking full-body pictures, which I never used to.”

Moses Gibson. (Twitter)

“In my mind, when I’m done with this part I can just be free,” he was quoted as saying regarding the second procedure. “I just won’t care about my height anymore. I’ll be satisfied with what I have.”

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) said the leg lengthening process, known as distraction, is a “lengthy treatment and has a risk of complications, so isn't always recommended.”

Some complications include poor bone formation, fracture, infection, bone lengthening at an inappropriate rate, and blood clots.

“There’s also some uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of the procedure,” the NHS added in information available online.

However, it also adds that the procedure “can sometimes result in a significant increase in height.”

Gibson was quoted as saying: “I’d advise anybody who wants this to go for it — it’s definitely worth it,” he declared. “I’m definitely wanting to spread the word, and if it can help other people go through it then so be it, I’m glad.”

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