NAPLES, Fla. — At 15-years-old, Gabriel Yates of Naples stands nearly 7'2" tall. But his extraordinary height for his age isn’t from genetics — Yates is living with a rare medical condition called gigantism.
“I have suspected that there was something wrong with me for a long time now,” Yates said. “I’ve always been a lot taller than the other kids, and it wasn’t a huge surprise."
WATCH TO SEE HOW THIS NAPLES TEEN GOES THROUGH DAILY LIFE BEING TALLER THAN ALL OF HIS PEERS:
Gigantism occurs when a child or adolescent produces too much growth hormone, often because of a tumor on the pituitary gland according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Only about 100 cases have been reported in the United States.
For Yates, the signs became clearer after puberty. His mother, Tara Sargent, said doctors at first told the family nothing was wrong.
“Year after year we’re checking with doctors, trying to figure out what’s going on. And they’re like, no — he’s happy, he’s healthy,” she recalled.
Yates was officially diagnosed in April 2025. Doctors later discovered a tumor in his brain and reported successfully removing it this month.
"It was roughly the size of a grape," Sargent said.
The family has been juggling frequent visits to specialists, including neurosurgeons, endocrinologists and ophthalmologists. To help with mounting costs, Sargent launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the costly visits.
She said her son will likely need years of hormone treatments and monitoring.
"We're closing the pituitary tumor chapter and we're opening another chapter because now we have to really treat what the gigantism has caused him," Sargent added.
Despite the challenges — from finding clothes and custom doors to tracking down size 22 shoes — Gabriel has stayed upbeat.
“It’s a wild goose chase,” he said, showing off a pair of sneakers a family friend managed to find.
Despite the struggles, Gabriel said he’s staying positive — and on a light note wants people to know he's not a huge fan of basketball.
“I just hang out with friends, go to the mall, talk to people. I do acting — be someone else for the afternoon,” he said with a laugh.
