Richard's story

The surgery was a turning point: his hands and feet shrank, his features softened, and his confidence grew. He says it felt "like a plug being lifted from my soul." It was a huge shift, not just medically, but in how he experienced himself.

Jack sought help for his impaired vision. What he found was the answer to changes in his body he had barely noticed creeping up on him, all caused by a tumor on his pituitary gland.

At the age of 21, Melissa was told she had acromegaly. Unlike many patients with a rare disease, she was diagnosed early in her disease journey.

Darro began experiencing symptoms at 18 while in music college – severe headaches, joint pain, and mood swings. “They came so slowly I didn’t realize they were all caused by one thing”, he says. Over time, the symptoms worsened, leading to significant physical changes, like severe underbite, swelling, and weight gain. At 24, Darro was diagnosed with acromegaly.

John had gone to the doctor because of swollen and painful hands, numbness and tingling in his arms and severe headaches. These symptoms were the result of a golf-ball-sized brain tumor on his pituitary gland.

18 months after having her second child, Laura noticed her body was changing. After several visits to the doctor, she started doing her own research and was convinced she had acromegaly.

Angeliki felt like a bad wife and mother. But after being diagnosed with acromegaly, she realized how badly the disease symptoms had impacted her life.

As a former coal miner and police officer, Ken is now retired. For more than 20 years, he suffered from headaches so severe that he vomited, experienced constant joint pain and extreme fatigue.

Six years ago, after years of severe headaches and  passing out in the shower, Crys was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor. She was only 20 years old.