Man grows more than 40 cm after surgery to remove a brain tumor

As a teenager, Jimmy Connolly, a 35-year-old mental healthcare worker, thought his height of only 1.24m was because he was “small for his age”. However, after he began having seizures while playing video games, at the age of 16, Jimmy discovered that his short stature was due to a diagnosis of a brain tumor that was slowly growing in his head.

At that time, in 2004, the Briton underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and in a matter of months after the operation, its length had already grown by 4.5 centimeters. Since then, Jamie has had more than three surgeries, and is now 1.70m tall.

– I have always been young, and even when I was in school, I thought that I was young for my age. I never imagined it was due to a brain tumor. I later found out that the tumor was growing in a part of my brain that is responsible for important functions including growth and development.

The healthcare professional decided to share his story as part of Brain Tumor Awareness Month, which takes place in March in the UK. He says he still lives with part of the tumor, as removing it entirely could lead to permanent consequences, such as paralysis.

“Despite numerous surgeries to remove the slow-growing tumor, it has left me with changes in my vision and, as a result, I have to wear glasses. Part of the tumor is still there, as removing it all could have paralyzed me.”

Now, he will participate in sessions where he will answer people’s questions about brain tumors. For him, it’s an important initiative because, he says, “I knew nothing about the disease until I was diagnosed.” Mel Tilley, director of community development at Brain Tumor Research, highlighted the importance of patients talking about their experiences.

“We are grateful to Jimmy for sharing his story,” he says.