Richard's story

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.

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.

What started as pain relief developed into a relentless addiction. Mattias lost his health, career, and confidence. Today, he is rebuilding his life and proving that recovery is possible.

“I knew there was something wrong and it had been going on for years. But instead of looking at the bigger picture, every symptom was treated as a single event”, she recalls. Initially she was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), later she had a surgery to remove abdominal adhesions and was put on wheat free diet, but symptoms continued to worsen. 

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.

What started as casual cannabis use quickly escalated – within two years, Cullan was addicted to heroin. Today, he supports others in recovery and runs a podcast to show that life after addiction is possible. 

Trauma following a family tragedy was the trigger for Marie’s opioid dependence, with devastating consequences for both Marie and her family. Today, Marie is rebuilding her life and reconnecting with her family. 

An ultrasound scan for persistent hiccups changed Simona’s life. After two years of tests, she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors – a disease she had never heard of.

“All heroin has brought me is problems – divorces, financial issues and a lot of misfortunes.” Antonio has been battling opioid dependence for over 40 years. He first realized he had a problem back in 1979. 

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.

Taking heroin to counter his cocaine highs, Daniel found it impossible to quit after only one week. “Heroin isn’t something you can just stop taking – you get diarrhea, vomiting. It's brutal."

Josh was a fit 46-year-old living happily in California with his wife and newborn son. An annual check-up led Josh to wonder if he would live to see his son’s first birthday.

Will's life took a downturn when he split up from his girlfriend. His drug habit escalated and Will ended up living on the streets.