Gender and Relationships
April 11, 2023 | 12:46 p.m
He’s looking for a foot in the dating world.
A pint-size Minnesota man splurged more than $170,000 on two leg-lengthening surgeries in a bid to make himself more attractive to women.
Moses Gibson, 41, said he had long struggled to get a girlfriend because of his 5-foot-5-inch frame, initially turning to medication and a “spiritual healer” to try to increase his height.
“I don’t feel good about myself,” Gibson told Kennedy News and Media, saying he underwent “heightism.”
“Most of the time I’m not happy about it,” he continued candidly. “It’s my self-confidence in general, and with women. It’s affected my dating life. I used to put things in my shoes to make them a little taller, but not that much.”
A desperate Gibson began taking pills he bought on the internet that promised to make him taller.
He also started talking to a spiritual healer, who told him that he could increase his height if he considered it properly.
But when medicine and magical thinking both failed to produce extra inches on a height chart, Gibson realized an expensive and painful leg-lengthening surgery was his last resort.
The self-described “go-getter” saved $75,000 for the operation over three years, working as a software engineer during the day and an Uber driver at night to make ends meet.
Gibson underwent the procedure in 2016, which added 3 inches to his height, bringing him to 5-foot-8.
“After the first procedure, I was happy to some extent, but it was always in my mind that I wanted to do the second one to complete it.” explained the Minnesota native. “I am a high achiever. I have money and I can finish the trip. “
In March of this year, Gibson shelled out $98,000 for a second surgery, which he hopes will add another 2 inches to his height.
During the painful surgery, doctors broke Gibson’s tibia and fibula bones and threaded magnetic, leg-lengthening nails through them.
He now uses a height extension device three times a day to separate the broken bone by one millimeter each time.
This encourages his body to create new bone tissue, which will fill the gap to create new height.
“I went in at 7:30 am and at noon, they were waking me up from surgery,” Gibson recalled. “They give you powerful pain medication because there are times when it really hurts and you have to work through it. You go home and you have a week or two for some healing to happen before you start lengthening the device.”
If he uses the height extension device correctly, doctors say he will eventually be 5-foot-10.
“I’d be happy at 5-foot-10,” he declared. “But if my body and everything else allows me to go 3 inches to get to 5-foot-11, even better!”
Gibson revealed that the surgeries gave him the ability to speak confidently to women — and he had one particularly positive outcome.
“After the first operation, I no longer hesitate and no longer worry about the result when I talk to girls. I now have a girlfriend,” he proudly said. “I also started wearing shorts and got full-body pictures, which I’m not used to.
“In my mind, once I’m done with this part I can be free,” she said of the extra inches she hopes to gain after the second procedure. “I don’t care about my height anymore. I will be content with what I have.”
Despite the pain and price of the procedures, Gibson has no regrets.
“I would advise anyone who wants to do it – it’s definitely worth it,” he declared. “I really want to spread the word, and if it helps other people get through it then I’m happy.”
However, according to Britain’s National Health Service, Leg lengthening surgeries are not always recommended.
The organization notes that the surgery can result in poor bone formation, bone lengthening at an inappropriate rate, fractures and blood clots.
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