22. Andre was born on May 19, 1946 in Grenoble, France, to Boris and Marian Roussimoff. At the time of his birth, he was diagnosed with having a birth defect. What is the name of this birth defect?
From Quiz The Life of Andre Roussimoff
Answer:
Acromegaly
When Marian gave birth to Andre, she noticed that there was something different about her son. Compared to her other children, he appeared extremely large to her. The doctors assured her that there was nothing wrong with her baby, but when they brought the child home, he seemed to be constantly growing, and more quickly than the Roussimoffs other children. By the time Andre was a year old, he was taller than his siblings, and his mother was quite embarrassed about taking her son out in public. However, her opinion changed after she consulted the local priest, who told her that her son had a great calling and that although he was larger than most, he would be revered my men of all races, creeds and ages. When Andre was seven years old, the locals of Grenoble took up a collection for the Roussimoffs, so that they could find out what was causing Andre to grow as quick as he was. The locals genuinely like Andre and felt very sorry for this sweet and loving child. The Roussimoffs made a trip to Paris, where it was discovered that Andre suffered from a disease known as Acromegaly, which is a form of Giantism. The doctors told Boris and Marian, that they did not expect the boy to live past twelve years of age. However, Andre proved that he was destined for greatness, and lived long past the projected age limit that the doctors had set for his life span.