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OFFICIALLY the tallest kid in the world, Jase, is a sweet 10-year-old boy who stands at a staggering 6 ft 3” due to a condition called ‘Gigantism.’ This condition means that Jase’s body releases extensive growth hormones in his pituitary gland, causing him to grow at a much quicker rate than an average 10 year old kid. Jase has grown taller by 5 inches each year and will continue to do so, unless he has a surgery to remove the growth in his head that will prevent him from growing further. Though he is resistant towards having surgery, one of the things Jase loves about his condition is how tall he stands above his peers at school, especially during football games, where every child and parent shake at the thought of him playing. Being six times the size of his friend Truman, the gentle giant is not only growing externally but also internally, as his organs and appetite grow to match his frame. Despite his appearance, Jase is a normal, loving 10-year-old boy who embraces being the ‘tallest kid in the world’.
Videographer: Randal Crow
Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng
Editor: Dalene Low
OFFICIALLY the tallest kid in the world, Jase, is a sweet 10-year-old boy who stands at a staggering 6 ft 3” due to a condition called ‘Gigantism.’ This condition means that Jase’s body releases extensive growth hormones in his pituitary gland, causing him to grow at a much quicker rate than an average 10 year old kid. Jase has grown taller by 5 inches each year and will continue to do so, unless he has a surgery to remove the growth in his head that will prevent him from growing further. Though he is resistant towards having surgery, one of the things Jase loves about his condition is how tall he stands above his peers at school, especially during football games, where every child and parent shake at the thought of him playing. Being six times the size of his friend Truman, the gentle giant is not only growing externally but also internally, as his organs and appetite grow to match his frame. Despite his appearance, Jase is a normal, loving 10-year-old boy who embraces being the ‘tallest kid in the world’.
Videographer: Randal Crow
Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng
Editor: Dalene Low
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NewsTranscript
00:00 I'm officially a tall skier in the world. I'm 10. I am 6 foot 3 inches.
00:05 Gigantism causes Jason's body to release excessive growth hormone.
00:10 Him grow 4 to 5 inches a year typically.
00:13 Jason's internal organs are growing rapidly too. People would usually only live 40 years or so
00:19 because their heart would be become too enlarged. Doctors have suggested
00:23 surgery in the next few years to stop his growth. He is very resistant.
00:28 I'm nervous to have the surgery in the future. But you may have to have it.
00:32 I might have to have it, yeah.
00:33 Okay, heels to the back. We're going to measure you. Are you ready?
00:43 Yep. Not sure I can even reach you.
00:46 Jason, how does it feel to be looking down on everybody?
00:49 Good. I'm Jason, the official tallest kid in the world.
00:55 Oh my goodness, I can hardly get there. 73 and a half inches.
01:01 What is that, like 6'3"?
01:04 He is 6 foot 3 inches tall. The average height for an adult male is only 5 foot 9 inches.
01:10 Gigantism is like a stage of growth.
01:16 It is a condition where there is a small growth on his pituitary gland that allows for constant
01:23 release of growth hormone. He has continuously grown every day since he's been born.
01:30 The last time we have measured him is January 3rd, 2021. He was 7 and a half years old.
01:38 Another 12 inches difference. So that's 12 inches within two years.
01:43 Jesus.
01:45 When he was born at 39 weeks, he already weighed 12 pounds, one ounce, and was 26 inches long.
01:53 At that point, they thought he was just an oddly large baby. And it wasn't until probably at three
02:01 years old when his pediatrician tested his blood for his hormone level. He knew then that this was
02:08 more than likely what he had.
02:11 So Jason eats a little more than even the average adult. We try not to overfeed him.
02:17 It's just accentuating his weight, which has been an ongoing problem for us.
02:24 His appetite is definitely more so than an average 10-year-old. That is a trait of gigantism.
02:32 And knowing that other parents would judge me for allowing him to get to this size,
02:40 because they did not know he actually has a condition that causes it, I felt terrible.
02:45 His health has definitely gotten worse over time.
02:50 Gigantism, you not only grow on the outside, you grow on the inside. So all of your organs
02:57 will start to enlarge the liver, the heart. From years prior, when surgery wasn't available,
03:03 people would usually only live 40 years or so because their heart would become too enlarged.
03:09 The procedure that they do now is to go into their pituitary gland,
03:14 remove the growth, and that will stop all growth.
03:18 We're looking at doing the surgery when he's 13 or 14 years old.
03:22 He is very resistant in having that done.
03:27 You are cut open. No.
03:31 So you're just scared to have surgery?
03:34 Yeah.
03:34 I'm sure everyone is.
03:36 I'm good.
03:36 But you may have to have it.
03:38 You might have to have it, yeah.
03:40 Breakfast is ready, everybody.
03:44 We have a very tall family. Grayson, he's 12 and he is 5'11".
03:52 And still probably the taller one in your class, correct?
03:54 Yeah.
03:55 But he is the shortest brother here in our house.
03:59 This feel like I'm the youngest sometimes, because he's like, oh, he's like taller than me
04:05 and bigger than me. Everybody thinks he's older than me, or the same age.
04:08 When did you realize for the first time that you were a little different from your classmates?
04:16 Probably first grade.
04:20 When I walked in from the first day, people were surprised.
04:24 People in middle school were like, "My height."
04:26 So a lot of people say I got held back a couple years.
04:32 This is the kid's world record and it is categorized by ages.
04:37 So Jason is technically the tallest kid in the world between the ages of seven and nine.
04:46 We found the kid's world record and they had no entry for tallest kid.
04:52 So we applied, we sent in a video and pictures.
04:56 When the actual record book came, everyone was so excited.
05:01 And he took it to school and showed his teachers and all his friends.
05:05 My friends thought I was lying.
05:08 Then I broke the book and it was like...
05:10 He does plan to requalify and be the world's tallest 10-year-old as well.
05:17 Find some shoes to put on.
05:19 Now we've always had a hard time getting shoes to fit him.
05:23 He wears a men's 14 triple wide.
05:26 So sometimes we're able to find a size 14 but never an extra, extra, extra wide.
05:32 These are an average 10-year-old's shoes.
05:35 And next to his shoe, it's remarkable the difference.
05:38 You ready?
05:39 All right, let's do it.
05:41 Do people now recognize you in public?
05:45 I think I have one person, dude.
05:49 He's more popular than he knows.
05:51 Because I have spoke with people just out and about in town and they know who Jace is.
05:57 Is this all the way back?
06:00 I can move my knees more.
06:01 Oh, it's not all the way back?
06:03 It is.
06:04 It is?
06:05 Your seat's all the way back.
06:06 This one's all the way front.
06:07 That's just the back, honey.
06:08 The most staring that Jace gets is when he goes to his football games.
06:16 Several times they've asked me if he's there to play football.
06:20 And I would say, yes, he is.
06:22 And I would tell them that he is playing their team.
06:26 And they are very nervous.
06:28 Hey, everybody.
06:30 Good to see y'all.
06:32 The first time I saw Jace, he was with a lot of other football players in the same grade level
06:40 in the third grade football team.
06:42 And I saw them all from behind.
06:44 And I honestly thought that it was somebody's dad wearing a football jersey.
06:48 He did not look like a kid.
06:50 Truman weighs 57 pounds.
06:52 Jace weighs roughly 300 pounds.
06:54 So he is literally six Trumans.
06:57 And it was just amazing to think that a child could be that big and be in the third grade.
07:02 I've been friends with Jace for three years.
07:05 What was your reaction?
07:06 Did you think he was your age?
07:07 No, I thought he was like 21.
07:09 I thought he was like-- when I first met him, I thought he was like 21 because he's so tall.
07:15 Jace, it really is like a gentle giant.
07:19 He seems like a really good kid.
07:21 He seems very humble.
07:22 And I don't think he even really thinks about the fact that he's so much larger than everybody else.
07:28 He's just a normal kid in a different body.
07:30 I have been very proud of him and his differences and the issues that he's dealt with over his
07:37 10-year life.
07:38 He wants to be involved like any other 10-year-old.
07:42 We've always spoke to him, even as a young child, about how being different is special.
07:48 And you stand out for a reason.
07:50 So he is very confident in his height and his size.
07:55 And he loves the attention that he gets for it.
07:57 Do you mind being different than other kids, or do you hate it?
08:01 Love it.
08:02 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:11 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:12 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:12 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:14 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:16 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:18 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:20 I'm probably the tallest kid in the world.
08:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]