00:00 I'm officially a tall skier in the world. I'm 10. I am 6 foot 3 inches.
00:05 Gigantism causes Jason's body to release excessive growth hormone.
00:10 Him grow 4 to 5 inches a year typically.
00:13 Jason's internal organs are growing rapidly too. People would usually only live 40 years or so
00:19 because their heart would be become too enlarged. Doctors have suggested
00:23 surgery in the next few years to stop his growth. He is very resistant.
00:28 I'm nervous to have the surgery in the future. But you may have to have it.
00:32 I might have to have it, yeah.
00:33 Okay, heels to the back. We're going to measure you. Are you ready?
00:43 Yep. Not sure I can even reach you.
00:46 Jason, how does it feel to be looking down on everybody?
00:49 Good. I'm Jason, the official tallest kid in the world.
00:55 Oh my goodness, I can hardly get there. 73 and a half inches.
01:01 What is that, like 6'3"?
01:04 He is 6 foot 3 inches tall. The average height for an adult male is only 5 foot 9 inches.
01:10 Gigantism is like a stage of growth.
01:16 It is a condition where there is a small growth on his pituitary gland that allows for constant
01:23 release of growth hormone. He has continuously grown every day since he's been born.
01:30 The last time we have measured him is January 3rd, 2021. He was 7 and a half years old.
01:38 Another 12 inches difference. So that's 12 inches within two years.
01:43 Jesus.
01:45 When he was born at 39 weeks, he already weighed 12 pounds, one ounce, and was 26 inches long.
01:53 At that point, they thought he was just an oddly large baby. And it wasn't until probably at three
02:01 years old when his pediatrician tested his blood for his hormone level. He knew then that this was
02:08 more than likely what he had.
02:11 So Jason eats a little more than even the average adult. We try not to overfeed him.
02:17 It's just accentuating his weight, which has been an ongoing problem for us.
02:24 His appetite is definitely more so than an average 10-year-old. That is a trait of gigantism.
02:32 And knowing that other parents would judge me for allowing him to get to this size,
02:40 because they did not know he actually has a condition that causes it, I felt terrible.
02:45 His health has definitely gotten worse over time.
02:50 Gigantism, you not only grow on the outside, you grow on the inside. So all of your organs
02:57 will start to enlarge the liver, the heart. From years prior, when surgery wasn't available,
03:03 people would usually only live 40 years or so because their heart would become too enlarged.
03:09 The procedure that they do now is to go into their pituitary gland,
03:14 remove the growth, and that will stop all growth.
03:18 We're looking at doing the surgery when he's 13 or 14 years old.
03:22 He is very resistant in having that done.
03:27 You are cut open. No.
03:31 So you're just scared to have surgery?
03:34 Yeah.
03:34 I'm sure everyone is.
03:36 I'm good.
03:36 But you may have to have it.
03:38 You might have to have it, yeah.
03:40 Breakfast is ready, everybody.
03:44 We have a very tall family. Grayson, he's 12 and he is 5'11".
03:52 And still probably the taller one in your class, correct?
03:54 Yeah.
03:55 But he is the shortest brother here in our house.
03:59 This feel like I'm the youngest sometimes, because he's like, oh, he's like taller than me
04:05 and bigger than me. Everybody thinks he's older than me, or the same age.
04:08 When did you realize for the first time that you were a little different from your classmates?
04:16 Probably first grade.
04:20 When I walked in from the first day, people were surprised.
04:24 People in middle school were like, "My height."
04:26 So a lot of people say I got held back a couple years.
04:32 This is the kid's world record and it is categorized by ages.
04:37 So Jason is technically the tallest kid in the world between the ages of seven and nine.
04:46 We found the kid's world record and they had no entry for tallest kid.
04:52 So we applied, we sent in a video and pictures.
04:56 When the actual record book came, everyone was so excited.
05:01 And he took it to school and showed his teachers and all his friends.
05:05 My friends thought I was lying.
05:08 Then I broke the book and it was like...
05:10 He does plan to requalify and be the world's tallest 10-year-old as well.
05:17 Find some shoes to put on.
05:19 Now we've always had a hard time getting shoes to fit him.
05:23 He wears a men's 14 triple wide.
05:26 So sometimes we're able to find a size 14 but never an extra, extra, extra wide.
05:32 These are an average 10-year-old's shoes.
05:35 And next to his shoe, it's remarkable the difference.
05:38 You ready?
05:39 All right, let's do it.
05:41 Do people now recognize you in public?
05:45 I think I have one person, dude.
05:49 He's more popular than he knows.
05:51 Because I have spoke with people just out and about in town and they know who Jace is.
05:57 Is this all the way back?
06:00 I can move my knees more.
06:01 Oh, it's not all the way back?
06:03 It is.
06:04 It is?
06:05 Your seat's all the way back.
06:06 This one's all the way front.
06:07 That's just the back, honey.
06:08 The most staring that Jace gets is when he goes to his football games.
06:16 Several times they've asked me if he's there to play football.
06:20 And I would say, yes, he is.
06:22 And I would tell them that he is playing their team.
06:26 And they are very nervous.
06:28 Hey, everybody.
06:30 Good to see y'all.
06:32 The first time I saw Jace, he was with a lot of other football players in the same grade level
06:40 in the third grade football team.
06:42 And I saw them all from behind.
06:44 And I honestly thought that it was somebody's dad wearing a football jersey.
06:48 He did not look like a kid.
06:50 Truman weighs 57 pounds.
06:52 Jace weighs roughly 300 pounds.
06:54 So he is literally six Trumans.
06:57 And it was just amazing to think that a child could be that big and be in the third grade.
07:02 I've been friends with Jace for three years.
07:05 What was your reaction?
07:06 Did you think he was your age?
07:07 No, I thought he was like 21.
07:09 I thought he was like-- when I first met him, I thought he was like 21 because he's so tall.
07:15 Jace, it really is like a gentle giant.
07:19 He seems like a really good kid.
07:21 He seems very humble.
07:22 And I don't think he even really thinks about the fact that he's so much larger than everybody else.
07:28 He's just a normal kid in a different body.
07:30 I have been very proud of him and his differences and the issues that he's dealt with over his
07:37 10-year life.
07:38 He wants to be involved like any other 10-year-old.
07:42 We've always spoke to him, even as a young child, about how being different is special.
07:48 And you stand out for a reason.
07:50 So he is very confident in his height and his size.
07:55 And he loves the attention that he gets for it.
07:57 Do you mind being different than other kids, or do you hate it?
08:01 Love it.
08:02 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:11 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:12 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:12 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:14 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:16 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:18 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:20 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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