Consider a man classified first as a dwarf and then as a giant… You read it right. We are not talking about different people, we are talking about one person! A man who had both dwarfism and giantness in his life passed away: Adam Rainer
Adam Rainer, who was considered a dwarf at a young age and was not even deemed worthy of military service, and left a unique story in world history in the 21st century by becoming a giant in his later years; has a life journey of 52 years that brings together surprise and sadness. We wanted to include you in this journey and introduce you to Rainer’s unique life story.
How does Adam Rainer’s story begin?
The story of Adam Rainer, who came to life in Graz, which was located within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1899 and is now known as one of the provinces of Austria; It begins with the rejection of his request to participate in World War I. Despite being the son of an average height family, Rainer is quite short for his age. Rainer, who is under the 1.47 height limit, is not only unable to participate in the war due to his height; It is also classified as “dwarf”. Rainer, who tried his luck once again when he was 20 years old, is unfortunately disappointed once again with his 1.42 height and is not accepted by the army.
Sudden growth begins, Rainer’s life changes!
Although Rainer is short enough to be considered a dwarf, the medical sources of those years draw attention to an important detail: Rainer’s hands and feet are surprisingly large compared to others of his height. So much so that Rainer, who is 20 years old and 1.42 tall, has a foot number of 43!
For most people, 21 years of age, when growth is complete, is a turning point for Rainer. Adam Rainer, who started to grow and develop rapidly at the age of 21, has a height of 2.18 when he is 32 years old. That’s not all! Rainer’s foot size continues to grow at the same time, reaching exactly 53!
What is behind Rainer’s sudden and disproportionate growth?
Rainer, once classified as a dwarf, is starting to slouch due to his excessive growth. In this way, Rainer manages to attract the attention of important names from the medical world. In 1930-1931, Doctors A. Mandl and F. Windholz examine Rainer closely, revealing the details of his sudden and disproportionate growth. Both doctors are convinced that Rainer has a problem with ”Acromegaly (Giganization)”.
Rainer’s problem remains unresolved
Adam Rainer is taken to surgery when it is realized that a tumor pressing on the pituitary gland lies behind the giantization problem. Although the doctors who successfully removed the tumor think that Rainer’s growth will stop after this surgery, things do not progress as expected. Rainer’s growth doesn’t stop, it just slows down. On the other hand, Rainer’s appearance is starting to reach a dimension that will be considered strange due to his hands and feet, which have grown even more due to the effect of the tumor.
Despite the surgery, Rainer’s condition continues to deteriorate
It is determined that Rainer, whose height was measured one year after the operation, did not increase in this one year; however, this measure does not prevent Rainer’s misfortunes that will soon befall him. Despite his height remaining the same, Rainer’s spine is found to be beginning to curve, indicating that growth is persistent. Adam Rainer, whose spine continues to curve as he grows, becomes unable to stand on his own after a while.
Rainer’s sad end
Rainer begins to lose his health as a result of all these experiences. Rainer, who first became blind in his right eye, also became deaf in his left ear. Since the curvature of his spine causes a prominent hump, he completely loses his ability to stand and becomes bedridden.
Rainer, 52 years old, dies in his own home as the tallest person in his country with a height of 2.34 m. It is known that since Rainer, no one else on earth has been classified as a dwarf and a giant at the same time.
Not every photo you see on the internet is of Rainer!
It should be underlined that the various photographs used while telling Rainer’s story do not belong to Rainer. In some sources, it is known that photos of people who look like Rainer are shared because they have similar physical features with Rainer at first glance.
Sources: 1, 2
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