Woman who couldn't stop growing dies at 34
LAS VEGAS (AP) - As a teenager growing up in Las Vegas, Tanya Angus strutted along fashion runways. She was 5 feet 8 inches tall.
But at the time of her death Monday, the 34-year-old Angus stood 7 feet 2 inches and weighed about 400 pounds. She was a victim of a rare disorder called acromegaly that wouldn't let her stop growing. In children the condition is known as gigantism.
"'Mom, I don't know why I got it,'" Karen Strutynski recalled her daughter saying. "'But I guess God decided that I could handle it.'"
Handle it she did - by appearing on television specials and in the news, and talking about the condition that left her face misshapen and gave her chronic growing pains.
Her condition was the result of the release of too much growth hormone caused by a non-cancerous tumor on her pituitary gland.
The disorder affected just about everything for Angus. She couldn't pull even the largest of shirts over her head, because she couldn't fit through the collar. She needed specially made shoes, and jewelers stretched her rings to size 20.
"There's nothing made for giants," her mother explained.
Some people judged her daughter, Strutynski said, believing she used a wheelchair because she lacked the discipline to keep her weight down. What they didn't know is that she ate one meal a day, and her medications caused her face to swell, her mother said.
"People were very cruel until she went into the media," Strutynski said.
After television appearances, Angus became an advocate for those with the disease, corresponding with people from some 60 countries to help them.
She saw her mission as helping others get diagnosed before it was too late and the disease got out of control, her mother said.
An autopsy is pending, but Strutynski said it appears Angus died after catching a cold and developing a tear in her heart.
Her mother plans to keep up Angus' website and continue corresponding with patients struggling to deal with the disease.
"We can't let it end. It's just too important," Strutynski said, her voice cracking. "We can't just let it die with Tanya."
But at the time of her death Monday, the 34-year-old Angus stood 7 feet 2 inches and weighed about 400 pounds. She was a victim of a rare disorder called acromegaly that wouldn't let her stop growing. In children the condition is known as gigantism.
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Handle it she did - by appearing on television specials and in the news, and talking about the condition that left her face misshapen and gave her chronic growing pains.
Her condition was the result of the release of too much growth hormone caused by a non-cancerous tumor on her pituitary gland.
The disorder affected just about everything for Angus. She couldn't pull even the largest of shirts over her head, because she couldn't fit through the collar. She needed specially made shoes, and jewelers stretched her rings to size 20.
"There's nothing made for giants," her mother explained.
Some people judged her daughter, Strutynski said, believing she used a wheelchair because she lacked the discipline to keep her weight down. What they didn't know is that she ate one meal a day, and her medications caused her face to swell, her mother said.
"People were very cruel until she went into the media," Strutynski said.
After television appearances, Angus became an advocate for those with the disease, corresponding with people from some 60 countries to help them.
She saw her mission as helping others get diagnosed before it was too late and the disease got out of control, her mother said.
An autopsy is pending, but Strutynski said it appears Angus died after catching a cold and developing a tear in her heart.
Her mother plans to keep up Angus' website and continue corresponding with patients struggling to deal with the disease.
"We can't let it end. It's just too important," Strutynski said, her voice cracking. "We can't just let it die with Tanya."
That poor woman. May she rest in peace and my condolences to her family.
yes very sad to see she passed away.been watching her on tv...very brave woman...rip
Ahh, this is sad. To live a life where you are bullied endlessly and then die so young! My heart goes out to the family for the loss of their loved one.
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 @Cathy Paul You need to grow up! You know, I really don't think "we're" the ones needing attention here! If you really get so easily offended, you probably shouldn't be here!
They really should turn off comments on stories like this because reading the comments here makes me sad. Â
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 @Zoso THAT COMMENT WAS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR... WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?
 @Cathy Paul Oh chill! Just a harmless humerous joke on her height! Of course I'm sorry for her passing! Seriously, you need to lighten up! Good grief!
Oh wow! That was a violation? Good grief! I wouldn't think someone who would be qualified for the WNBA because she's 7 feet tall would be considered offensive! I'm sure if I said that about a guy that tall like Shaq or Yao wouldn't be removed! Some of you people are so pathetic!
She looks very happy holding that little dog. Â Bless her, and keep her. Â Rest easy now.
 @ETSubmariner I thought the same thing. You can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with their pets. She looks like a very nice woman.Â
It always amazes me how cruel people can be, it would be blissful Karma if something as devastating as this disease would land on the bodies of those who get joy out of disrespecting others because of something that is out of their control.Â
I wish I could have known Tanya.
Â
If she couldn't stop growing, would it be safe to infer that the dog she's holding is a fully grown adult Doberman?
My life would have been blessed more knowing her.....R.I.P. Tanya.
Can the human body survive without the pituitary gland? We can live without all kinds of other organs. I'm sure they would have just removed the tumor if that would have stopped the problem.
Good for her mom for carrying on & helping others.
@katiemcc No. The pituitary gland regulate so many things that we can not live without it.
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 @Probe Probe I hope that you are not in any kind of pain due to the lack of a pituitary gland.  Hopefully the worst that you have to deal with is swollowing your meds and your "fun for weight (health) control".  The body is an amazing thing even if it goes to heck, and not the direction we would like it to go.
Â
RIP Tanya!!!!! Â My thoughts go out to your family and friends. Â May the medical world learn from all that you went through to help someone else who ends up with the same disorder.
 @Jazzygal72Â
Yes! Â You can live without the pituitary gland. Â It's just not always easy.
I lost mine to a bursting blood vessel 16 years ago.  It just shriveled up and died.  Have to take (balance) all my hormones manually.  Fun for weight (health) control.
How sad ,must have been a painful way to live.
I couldnt help noticing the irony between her condition and last name (angus), which is a breed of cattle.
 @northwestsurfer Your an adult??? It's beyond me the things grown adults say sometimes. Really dude? This is someones daughter, friend, and a human being that didn't ask to live with this disorder, and her life was cut way under half because of it. Think about things like this before you make comments that are funny to you, yet are extremely painful for the loved ones that have to suffer the loss. Idiot.
@Rick G. No, I am a fetus and blogging from the womb. My mom has free wifi, so being cramped here in the fetal position for 9 months isnt that bad.
 @northwestsurfer I take it you still haven't gotten bored yet?
 @northwestsurfer On=line tough guy, too. Man, I'm scared(how was the grammar)
@dylandawgie you know I realized after I wrote my response, I know who you are, I know exactly who you are and I'm not talking about through the forums.
@northwestsurfer u mad bro??????
@dylandawgie So, I made an observation about something here, and because you feel I was implying she was a fat cow, now you wish I was dead; ok thats fine. Maybe I know you, maybe I dont. I have enemies, sure. But I defintely dont wish anyone was dead. And then you end your statement with hint hint, as if you are suggesting I commit suicide?
I guess its ok though that you tell people you wish they were dead or had died based on a previous story komo ran about them, or that they should commit suicide. You are a bigger person than me apparently.
Too bad for you that I didnt die.
@northwestsurfer I don't get it?
@nomad Because she had gigantism, which obviously means she was a giant. An angus steer is obviously a breed of cattle; and cattle are large animals. Not that she was a fat cow or anything like the troll below who has been following my comments around is trying to imply
@SandyBeach @Julia I was his mentor
@lyn @PrairieDawn Oh dear
 @PrairieDawn  @northwestsurfer I was going to say the same thing! If you can't spell or use apostrophes correctly yourself, you shouldn't be critical of anyone else. Spelling lesson...it's grammar, not "grammer".Â
 @northwestsurfer Before you pick on peoples spelling and grammatical problems you should first lead by example. "Thats" is not a word but "That's" is.Â
 @Julia The guy twists his comments more than Manti Te'o.
@WA State Mom Thanks for thinking critically. I am open to criticism, after the meaning was considered or questioned. And thanks for not insulting me, and wishing I had died in a severe accident I was in.
I know what you have been through in some ways, I have ADD, and ADHD when I was young. It impacted me in a huge way, and I was taunted in school also because of how much I forgot things and because I would often say things without thinking first. Luckily still, I was gifted in many areas, but deficient in others. Im glad you are doing well now.
@northwestsurfer
I got your comment-- I thought the same thing. Can you imagine how hard it was to be a child with that condition AND with that last name? My name rhymes with a round thing and I'm overweight-- when I was a child that was torturous.Â
Anyway-- Just wanted you to know that I was thinking the same thing. And, I'm in no way cruel or pathetic.
@Julia If you guys dont like my comment then speak up, thats what the forum is all about. I think you misinterpreted my comment, and it was not meant to be cruel however I can see how it came across that way now. My point was that she grew to become a giant and then her last name had a cruel irony to it. Do I think her death was sad? Heck yes. I was just making an observation, not insulting her in the wake of her death.
Look, I simply do not understand why you and so many others in this forum are so quick to rush judgement. I bet if any one of you would think for a second you would understand what the observation I made was. Anyway, if I offended you, I am sorry, but no I will not delete my comment. I'll accept responsibility and apologize if I feel it is warranted, but I'm not going to delete my comment because you said I should.
 @northwestsurfer Your explanation now not only makes you look like someone who says cruel things - but also someone who can't stand by the fact that they say cruel things and pathetically tries to talk it away. You should've just deleted the comment altogether unless of course you were the one trolling (which obviously you were)
 @nomad As fat as a cow...???? Coming from a donkey, it don't mean much.
@SandyBeach @nomad Ok clearly you are trolling, following my comments, and thats fine. But If you are going to start looking for things, clean up your own grammer first. "it dont mean much" is not good grammer; substitute "does not" or "doesnt" for "dont".
 Whats the irony????
I had a dear friend who died from complications related to acromegaly and Marfan's Syndrome almost 11 years ago. He was literally a gentle giant, in every sense of the word. He had the biggest heart of anyone you could ever hope to meet, and that was what eventually killed him--his heart literally became too enlarged to work properly any more and just gave out on him. He was just shy of his 30th birthday when he passed. My heart goes out to Tanya's friends and famiy, as well as others struggling with this condition and their friends and loved ones.Â
What a special woman. Some times things are out of our control. I'm very humbled. Rest in peace Tanya.
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 @deadcandance That's a full-grown German shepherd.
@the @deadcandance proves people can be cruel even after her death.
 @the I looked at the photo and saw a beautiful woman trapped in a prison and also at the cute little dog. After reading the article and the comments, I get to your comment and did shake my head a little, but then my lighter side (that loves a joke) went back up to look at the picture again and I started to laugh.(damn that was a long sentence) Not at this woman, but was picturing the dog as an actual full grown German Shepherd. That WAS funny.
 @nomad @deadcandance death is a fact of life but I wont let it sap me of my sense of humor. The woman was obviously a positive factor in a lot of people's lives and I applaud her. Doesn't mean I wont make a joke about a dog though.
@the @deadcandance hahaha
What a tragedy.  Tanya was apparently a beautiful soul.  Kudos to her mother for her plans to carry on Tanya's mission to educate people about this dreadful disease.  I hope all of us will be more compassionate and less judgemental  and realize most of the time we know nothing about another person's circumstances.  In other words, the motto of "There, but for the grace of God, go I" is something to keep in mind.
That sucks. Condolences to the family.