Father Paid an Estimated $150K for Son’s Leg Lengthening Surgery After Battling ‘Height Discrimination’

A father who has lived his life unhappy with his own height agreed to pay for an expensive surgery to give his son an extra three inches by lengthening the teen’s legs.

According to People, ultramarathon runner Aaron Trinh, who was previously 5’6”, underwent a procedure in May 2025 that broke his leg bones so doctors could insert metal between them. They then used external magnets to slowly stretch the bones and add roughly one millimeter a day to his height for more than four months as nerves, muscles and other tissue grew around the new metal.

The surgery cost an estimated $150,000, per People, which Trinh said his father was happy to fund.

“My dad was easily the first and probably the only person I would come to regarding the surgery, because I know that he would relate to me the most,” Trinh told the outlet. “He was the only one who was capable of supporting me throughout this process. He has suffered through height discrimination all his life, starting with his own family to people that were supposed to be his friends, even at the workplace.”

His dad, who wanted to remain anonymous, was similarly concerned with his son’s height, reportedly making him drink a full glass of milk every morning to help him grow.

“Because of my height. I just feel bad. I feel humiliated,” Aaron’s father told the outlet. ”Can you imagine when you speak to people, you have to look up to them? And when they talk to you, they have to look down and you feel like you’re being talked down to all the time.”

Eight months after the procedure, Aaron says he’s pleased with the results and even starting to settle into his new life as a 5’9” person.

“I am absolutely much more at peace with my mind and my body, and I think that’s gonna stick around for a very long time,” he says. “This surgery was purely just for my self-fulfillment, just so that I could be able to mentally focus on other things.”