Nevada, United States (
The Weekly Vice) - Doctors say Tanya Angus, a 30-year-old Nevada woman suffering from
Acromeglia
(or
Gigantism
), is the only woman alive whose growth cannot be stopped, even with medication.
When Tanya was 18, her figure was proportionate and she stood just 5?8?. Shortly after, she realized that she was still growing, and very rapidly. Tanya says she did everything she could to try and make herself feel more attractive, but she just
couldn
?t understand why she continued to get bigger. Her voice changed, and her feminine figure began to disappear.
Tanya, at age 20, was refused help by her doctor, who thought she was only seeking attention and antidepressants. She lost her womanly figure and her voice got deeper, until one day her boyfriend?s mother asked her if she?d gotten a sex change.
Tanya had an MRI scan done, which revealed a
grapefuit
-sized tumor in her brain that was causing her body to overproduce growth hormone. Eventually, the family found a doctor willing to operate, and most of the tumor was removed. Tanya was given a ?****tail? of medication to try and combat her tremendous growth.
Tanya originally had 12 times the amount of growth hormone in her body than that of the average person. Doctors barely managed to reduce that to 4x, but by then, Tanya was 6?3? and a size 20.
'It was horrible,' said Tanya. 'My whole life had to change, and I couldn't do anything for myself any more. The hardest thing is that people kept thinking I was man, and calling me sir, which really annoys me. I try to dress in feminine clothes and wear make-up to look nice, but it's really hard when you're my size.'
Two years later, Tanya?s hormone levels rose again, and the tumor had grown to the size of an orange. She tried surgery a second time, and got a whole new array of prescriptions.
In 2007, Tanya had a stroke, and had to learn to walk and talk again. Her parents have spent their life savings trying to find a solution.
'I'm doing this story because I want people to understand why I'm this way,' she says. 'It's not my fault I ended up like this.
Tanya is now 6?6? and roughly 475 pounds and doctors say she's STILL growing.
