'I was honest with myself, if I wanted to die, if I felt like that's what I wanted to do, then I wrote it down,' she said. She kept a journal, which she said helped her get through the painful process. I think she needed me to be strong for her.'Īfter her second surgery, Tiffanie DiDonato gained an unprecedented 10 inches of additional height, putting her at 4-foot-10 - right on the cusp of little-person status. 'I was not going to because if I broke, maybe she would have too, maybe she would have stopped,' Robin said. She said she didn't let herself cry in front of her daughter, even during the most gut-wrenching days.

It was tough … it's horrible.'īut Robin never wavered.

Her father, Gerry DiDonato, said he told her she didn't need to have the surgery, and it was torture to him to watch his daughter suffer. PHOTOS: Tiffanie's Transformation Before and After Surgery My biggest fear was her being dependent on others for her care because, let's face it, Gerry and I won't be around forever.' 'It was doing things on her own, brushing her own hair. 'It was all about independence,' Robin DiDonato said. Her mother, who raised her to be a fierce fighter, said she supported her daughter's decision. Ignoring the recommended maximum of four inches, she and her doctor decided not to put a cap on her growth. When she was 15, DiDonato decided to have the surgery again.

'All you can do is kind of let the tears fall and deal with it and suck it up and let it ride.'

'When I woke up, when it hurt so much, you freeze it, almost like if you scream it is going to hurt worse,' she said. It was a decision she made when she was very young, knowing that it would have risks and rewards with a lifetime of consequences.Īt age 8, DiDonato had her first surgery to lengthen her arms and gain four inches of height. Growing up in Marlborough, Mass., DiDonato fantasized about being tall enough to grab something off the grocery store shelf, cook on the stove, take out the trash and drive a car, but almost everything was out of reach.īut that all changed when DiDonato endured an excruciating and controversial series of limb-lengthening surgeries, which breaks bones and forces them to re-grow longer.

Cry of fear taller