Moses Gibson has always been self-conscious about his 5ft 5in frame and has struggled with ‘heightism’ in his dating life.
The 41-year-old is aiming to reach his dream height of 5ft 10in after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on painful height lengthening surgery.
Moses had surgery to add three inches to his height in 2016, which cost $75,000 (£60,376).
After such a painful operation, which included breaking his bones and implanting magnetic screws, the business owner had another surgery last month for $98,000 (£78891) in the hopes of reaching his desired height.
He also uses a height lengthening device three times a day, pulling the bone apart a millimetre at a time and stretching his body.
Moses, from Minneapolis, US, said: “They give you powerful pain medication as there are times when it’s really painful and you have to work through it.
“You go home and you have a week or two for some healing to happen before you get the device to start lengthening.”
He said that ‘as far back as when he was 15’, he realised that his peers around him were taller, which made him feel ‘unhappy’.
However, after his first surgery, Moses began to feel more confident.
“I started wearing shorts and taking full body pictures which I never used to.
“It’s a crazy thing nobody should feel that way.”
He continued: “It’s about me as a person and the way I look at myself with the height thing. In my mind, when I’m done with this part I can just be free.
“I just won’t care about my height anymore. I’ll be satisfied with what I have.
“There’s always going to be people taller, but it will just be something that isn’t on my mind anymore.”
Moses said it had ‘been his dream just for that [those kind of comments] to go away’.
“People who said ‘you’re short’, they just don’t see it anymore. Even though they don’t know there’s difference, they ask if I’ve been working out.” he added.
“I’d advise anybody who wants this to go for it, it’s definitely worth it.
“I’m definitely wanting to spread the word and if it can help other people go through it then so be it, I’m glad.”
According to the NHS, if you have particularly short legs, this leg lengthening process, known as a distraction, may be an option.
However, they warn that this lengthy surgery may result in complications such as poor bone formation, fracture, and infection, and thus is not advised.