An American man has invested a staggering $200,000 (about 22 million Kenya Shillings) to increase his height by five inches, undergoing two surgeries to make the transformation. Moses Gibson, originally 5’5″, turned to the expensive and painful procedures after feeling insecure about his stature and struggling with dating.
Gibson, a 41-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota, experienced height-shaming from a young age. He tried various medications and even sought help from a spiritual healer in his quest for a taller stature. His search eventually led him to a painful surgical procedure that involved breaking multiple bones.
According to Infohub Kenya, Gibson first underwent surgery in 2016, adding three inches to his height. He recently completed a second surgery to add an additional two inches, with the goal of reaching 5’10” by June. In total, he spent $160,000 on these intense and agonizing surgeries but maintains that he is pleased with the results.
Reflecting on his past struggles, Gibson explained, “I’ve struggled with height, I don’t know whether ‘heightism’ is what they call it, but being on the shorter side for men…It was my self-confidence in general, and with the ladies. It affected my dating life.”
To fund the first $75,000 surgery, Gibson worked as a software engineer during the day and an Uber driver at night for three years. In March, he paid an additional $98,000 for the second surgery, during which doctors broke his tibia and fibula bones and inserted magnetic limb-lengthening nails. Gibson now uses a height-lengthening device three times a day to gradually stretch the cut bone, allowing his body to create new bone tissue and fill the gap until he reaches his desired height of 5’10”.
When asked about his decision to undergo a second surgery, Gibson said, “After the first procedure, I was happy with it to some extent, but it was always in my mind that I wanted to do the second one to complete it.”