Thaynara Marcondes had been living with a rare and aggressive condition that caused her chest to grow at an alarming rate. In just a few months, the size of her breasts had increased to an extreme level—something so rare that only a few cases like hers have ever been reported around the world.
She quickly outgrew all the clothes in her closet. Eventually, even plus-size clothes couldn’t accommodate her chest, so she had to start getting custom-made outfits just to get by.
“I couldn’t even wear a bra anymore,” Marcondes told the Brazilian news outlet G1. “One day, I tried on eight shirts and none of them fit. I ended up freaking out.”
“I started going out on the street and people were staring and pointing,” she shared with CNN Brazil. “Once I went to the supermarket and people even started to think I was stealing products and hiding them in my breasts. Then I got worried.”
Before long, the rapid growth began to impact every part of her daily routine. On social media, she opened up about how her enlarged chest made simple tasks incredibly difficult. She also struggled with constant pain in her neck, shoulders, and back that made everyday life even harder to manage.
There were times when the pain became so overwhelming that she had to use a wheelchair just to get around comfortably.
Doctors initially feared that the swelling could be linked to cancer. But after a series of tests, she was diagnosed with a rare condition known as gigantomastia.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, it causes extreme and uncontrollable breast growth and is almost never seen.
Experts say it can happen without warning, but it may also be connected to major body changes like puberty or pregnancy.
Other potential triggers include certain medications, obesity, autoimmune conditions, or hormonal imbalances.
The symptoms go well beyond pain and bad posture. They may also include numbness in the nipples, rashes or sores beneath the breasts, and serious emotional tolls like anxiety, body image struggles, and even depression.
There are medications that may slow the growth for some, but in many situations, surgery becomes the best option. When the condition is severe or keeps coming back, some patients are even advised to consider a full mastectomy.
To fund the operation, she raised around $7,200 in donations. And in her words, every cent of it was absolutely worth it.
“I look in the mirror all the time and think, ‘Wow, I look so beautiful!'” she said during an interview with CNN Brazil. “Sometimes I even cry looking at myself because I still can’t believe I did it.”
Even so, she says she finally feels like herself again and is embracing this new chapter. Her doctors are keeping an eye on things, though, as there’s still a chance the tissue could begin to grow again. For now, she’ll remain under regular medical supervision.