Man shares update after £20,000 leg lengthening surgery that 'snapped' his boned
"I wish I was a little bit taller," so goes the song. "I wish I was a baller."
There has not yet been an operation invented that will make you as good as Jude Bellingham, and the Space Jam method remains restricted to the realm of cartoons.
But, there is a way to make yourself taller now, even if you won't grow at quite the size and speed as a Monstar.
So short kings everywhere, rejoice!
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If you're fed up with always looking up, there is a way to change that. If you have a spare £20,000 knocking about, that is.
Or you could always get a loan from the bank, which is exactly what 28-year-old Marius Gros did to pay for his leg extension surgery in Turkey.
Gros used to stand at 5'7" and grew tired of feeling shorter than the people of Dublin, Ireland, where he lives.
So he underwent an operation which entailed both his legs being broken, an external metal device being inserted which was then gradually adjusted, so his leg bones grew back longer than when they started.
After months of painful recovery, time off work and physiotherapy, Gros now stands at 5'11".
He has absolutely no regrets.
The long road to recovery after leg extension surgery
Gros 'always wanted to be taller' and went under the knife in January 2025, at the Wanna Be Taller clinic in Istanbul, paying 90 per cent less for the operation than what it can cost in the USA.
After having his femurs snapped and the metal extension device attached, he admits the pain was 'really bad' upon waking up.
"The average height in Ireland where I live seems to be higher than in Romania, where I'm from," he said when explaining why he wanted to be taller.
"In Ireland, the men are mostly 5ft 11in or 6ft and I felt short when I was out on the street.
"When I first woke up, the pain was really bad. But I became a bit numb from the painkillers.
"The first two weeks after the surgery were painful, I couldn't really move and mostly just lay in bed."
But then the real work started.
Every day after waking up, he had to twist a screw on the structures four time to adjust them 1mm further apart.
After four days in hospital and 11 more in a nearby hotel where he learnt exercises from a physiotherapist and was treated to by nurses, he returned to Ireland to continue his recovery.
Wheel-chair bound for four months, he gradually began to get strength back in his legs.
Then, he finally began to notice his height increasing.
"As time went on, I noticed the changes slowly - things like using the coffee machine or microwave, my point of view changed and I had to lower my hand more to use it," Gros said.
"My brother is 5ft 9in, every time I saw him, we'd measure me against him and saw me getting closer to his height."
By May 2025, he had grown four inches.
'If I rewound time, I'd do the same thing again'
Now 18 months on from the brutal-sounding procedure, Gros has given an update on how he's doing.
Spoiler, he's feeling quite high and mighty.
He said: "I'm not in any pain although running still feels a bit weird because my brain needs time to adjust to the new height.
"People online said I'd never walk again, I just replied 'watch and see'.
"I knew I'd be back to normal, and now I am.
"I've nearly paid off the loan already, and I have no regrets.
"If I rewound time, I'd do the same thing again."
Anyone else fancy a go?
Daniel Murphy