Andre the Giant
Why didn't Andre the Giant have surgery to fix his problems with giantism and live longer instead of dying young?
John Winters writes..
Andre René Roussimoff more commonly known as Andre the Giant is perhaps the most famous professional wrestler of all time. Standing 7″4 (2.2 m) tall and weighing 502 pounds (227 kg), he was an imposing sight.
Andre's size is a symptom of a disease known as Gigantism. As a child he had a small tumor that put pressure on his pituitary gland. This causes an excess amount of growth hormone to flood his body. In 1958, at the age of 12, he stood at 6″1 (1.2 m).Medicine in rural France was not great, and his condition was largely unknown to his family. André's father claimed that his father was 7″8 (2.3 m ) was in
Andre's growth gifted him with athleticism. At the age of 18, he moved to Paris and taught professional wrestling. His size and strength were rightly assumed to be a major attraction.
Untreated Gigantism continued to flood his system with growth hormone. This caused a secondary condition called acromegaly. This led to his large hands and skull. Although some other wrestlers at the time could come close in height, his large arms and head made many realize that he was a giant in real life.
Both gigantism and acromegaly can only be treated by removing the tumor from the pituitary gland. In those days, however, the success of the procedure was small. The recovery was long and difficult and complicated. When Andre is finally diagnosed and faced with his options, he chooses to live life to the fullest.
Eventually Andre had surgery on his spine and planned to relieve the pressure from his size and weight. The surgery was largely successful and improved his quality of life. Sadly, he died in his sleep at the age of 46 after his heart, which had worked so hard for most of his life, finally failed.
So why was Andre not operated on to correct the gigantism? The simple answer was that the procedure was too risky. His chances of survival and recovery were low enough that he decided to live with his condition, which eventually allowed him to live a more fulfilling life.
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