To boost his dating life, a man from Minnesota splurged approximately $1,70,000 (Rs 1.35 crore) on two leg-lengthening surgeries to increase his height by five inches.
Moses Gibson, 41, struggled to date because of his 5-foot-5-inch frame. He tried various things including medication and a spiritual healer to increase his height.
"I just didn't feel good about myself," Mr Gibson told Kennedy News and Media, adding that he was subjected to "heightism."
He further shared "I was unhappy about it most of the time, 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 took pills that promised to make him taller and spoke to a spiritual healer who told him that he could increase his height if he properly put his mind to it. But when both failed, he decided to go for a pricey and painful leg-lengthening surgery.
He managed to save $75,000 for the surgery over the course of three years, by working as a software engineer and an Uber driver.
He underwent the procedure in 2016, which added 3 inches to his height.
"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." the man shared. "I'm a high achiever. I've got the money and I can finish the journey."
In March, the man spent $98,000 for a second surgery to add 2 inches to his height.
He now uses a height-lengthening device three times a day to pull the cut bone apart a millimetre at a time, the media outlet said.
"I'll 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, then even better!"
He revealed that surgeries have allowed him to talk confidently to women. He 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. "I also started wearing shorts and taking full-body pictures, which I never used to.
"In my mind, when I'm done with this part I can just be free," he said of the extra inches he's expected to gain following the second procedure. "I just won't care about my height anymore. I'll be satisfied with what I have."
Despite the pain and prices, Mr Gibson has no regrets.
