KOMO 4 Follow Up: Encouraging News For Fast-Growing Seattle Teenager

Share

By By John Sharify

Summary

Surgery to remove tumor at base of brain was successful; now 6 feet 8 inch tall teen can stop growing.

Story Published: Jan 8, 2002 at 2:06 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 24, 2009 at 10:48 AM PDT

KOMO 4 Follow Up: Encouraging News For Fast-Growing Seattle Teenager
SEATTLE - There's encouraging news for a Seattle teenager who just had surgery to stop growing.

As we first reported last week, 19-year-old Bernie Herberholt has been growing at an alarming rate -- 12 inches between high school and college.

We caught up with Bernie, who stands 6 feet 8 inches tall, just before he went into surgery to remove a tumor in his pituitary gland. The tumor at the base of his brain was producing too many growth hormones, that made his jaw, hands, feet, and bones grow too fast, and too much.

"The risk isn't that he's just grown tall and big, but it also puts too much strain on the heart and affects a lot of different organs," says Harborview Neurosurgeon Richard Winn, who performed the four hour surgery Thursday.

The surgery went well. Dr. Winn was able to remove the tumor.

"And so that's the best we can ask for," says Cathy Murray, Bernie's mother.

"They may have taken it all out for good, and that's the best chance I have right now so that's great," says Bernie, who's a sophomore at the University of Washington and rows for the crew team.

"It's a big relief," says his mother to know that Bernie won't grow anymore.

For more information about Bernie's condition, acromegaly, you can go to Harborview.org and click on Neurosciences.