Famous people with endocrine disorders
1. Name the former college basketball star from Gonzaga University who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 14 years.
Adam Morrison. After his final college season, Morrison shared college basketball’s Player of the Year Award with J.J. Redick of Duke. He was then selected third overall in the 2006 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.
2. This female track star recovered from Graves’ disease and went on to win the title of “Fastest Woman in the World” at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Who is she?
Gail Devers. Devers repeated as champion in the women’s 100 meters at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She enjoyed remarkable longevity in her sport. In February 2007, at age 40 years, she won the 60-meter hurdles at the Melrose games with a time of 7.86 seconds.
3. Name the dwarf actor who gained fame for his role as Tattoo on the television series Fantasy Island (1977–1984).
Herve Villechaize (1943–1993). Villechaize’s short stature was secondary to achondroplasia. His adult height was only 3 feet, 2 inches.
4. Television and film actress Mary Tyler Moore has what endocrine disorder?
Type 1 diabetes. Moore was diagnosed at age 33 years. Her diabetes has been complicated by retinopathy and recurrent foot infections.
5. George Bush and his wife Barbara were both diagnosed with Graves’ disease during his presidency (1989–1993). How did the president’s Graves’ disease manifest clinically?
KEY POINTS 1
1. Because many endocrine disorders are common, it is not surprising that famous people have or have had endocrine disorders.
2. Most endocrine disorders are either curable or treatable.
3. Many famous people have accomplished great things despite their endocrine disorders.
4. The lives of these famous people can serve as sources of encouragement to patients who suffer from similar endocrine conditions.
6. Pulitzer Prize–winning film critic Roger Ebert was diagnosed with what endocrine disorder at age 59 years?
Papillary thyroid cancer (treated with thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine). Ebert has a major risk factor for papillary thyroid cancer. As a child, he was given radiation treatment for an ear infection. He is unable to speak, but he uses a computer program to turn text into speech.
7. Name the acromegalic giant who played the character Jaws in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).
8. Name the 2-foot, 8-inch, dwarf actor best known for his role as Mini-Me in the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).
Vern Troyer. Troyer’s dwarfism is secondary to chondrodysplasia. He has had acting roles in more than 15 feature films.
9. Name the Chicago Bear NFL quarterback who developed type 1 diabetes in 2007.
Jay Cutler. He lost 35 pounds at the time of his diagnosis and has made Web videos for Lilly on diabetes.
10. Ancient Egyptian sculptures and paintings suggest that Tutankhamen (1357–1339 BC) and other pharaohs of the Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty had what endocrine disorder?
Gynecomastia. Familial aromatase excess syndrome is a possible explanation for this historical finding.
11. What famous male ice skater overcame growth failure related to a childhood illness to win the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo?
Scott Hamilton. As a child, Hamilton suffered from Shwachman syndrome, a rare disorder of the pancreas. His adult height is 5 feet, 3 inches. Hamilton was also diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 38 years and with a craniopharyngioma at age 46 years.
12. How was Scott Hamilton’s craniopharyngioma treated?
