During an appearance on the High Performance Podcast, Paul Wight, the wrestling icon better known as Big Show, has opened up about his fight against acromegaly, a rare disorder that could have ended his life. Diagnosed at 19, doctors warned the massive superstar he might not live past 45 without urgent surgery to remove a pituitary tumor. Thankfully, the procedure saved him and allowed him to become one of WWE’s most globally recognizable talents.
“I was 19, right? I went my whole life, I went to Wichita State, and the doctor there had worked at the Mayo Clinic and was familiar with it. He looked at my hands, and there’s different things, like the roof of my mouth is very high, and my jawline, sinuses, and stuff like that. He says, ‘I think you have acromegaly.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ And then within a week, I was at the Mayo Clinic, you know, and they’re telling me they’ve got to do this pituitary surgery. Like, I had a tumor. This is why I’m this way. I almost didn’t get the surgery, and they were telling me, ‘Well, if you don’t get this surgery, you’ll probably be dead by the time you’re 45 because this will shut down, this will happen, this will happen.’ And I remember thinking like, ‘45 is a long time away. I don’t know.’” – Paul Wight
Acromegaly develops when a benign pituitary tumor causes excessive growth hormone production, leading to gradual enlargement of bones and soft tissues. Early signs are often subtle, such as the need fr larger shoes, increased sweating, fatigue, and joint pain. Over time, patients experience prominent facial changes like a jutting jaw and brow, enlarged hands and feet, a deeper voice, and complications including heart issues, sleep apnea, and arthritis. While treatment can halt progression, some changes remain permanent, highlighting the importance of early awareness.
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