Standing at just under 4ft 5ins Sanika Hussain was labelled a 'freak' and make her endured cruel taunt bullies for years, But it wasn't until she reached 19 that doctors diagnosed her with a form of dwarfism - hypochondroplasia.
Desperate to be like her peers, the now 25-year-old put herself through five years of agonising medical procedures to add three-and-a-half inches to her height. Both her legs were broken, metal rods inserted, and braces fixed to stretch her legs.
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She was forced to lie on her back for three years, while her bones recovered.
But despite the pain she's endured, Miss Hussain said the extra inches mean the difference between hating herself and feeling confident.
Now measuring 4ft 8ins, Miss Hussain, said: 'I finally feel comfortable in my own skin.
'Although three-and-a-half inches may not sound like much, for me it was the difference between standing out and fitting in - between hating myself and feeling confident.
'Growing up, bullies used to shout "dwarf" and "freak" at me and over time I believed them.
'But now, with my longer legs, I don't see myself as a "freak" - I'm simply a petite woman.'
Miss Hussain, who is from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said growing up she knew she was 'different', though it wasn't until she was 19 that she was diagnosed with hypochondroplasia - a form of short limb dwarfism.
'I was clearly shorter than other children my age,' she said. 'I would dread going into school because other children would push me around.
'The other children would call me names all the time. Other girls in my class were growing taller, while I stuck out like a sore thumb at 4ft 5ins.
'Everyone would call me "mini-me".
It tore away my self-esteem.
'All I wanted was to be developing into a young woman and to have friends and a boyfriend like other girls my age. Instead, I felt completely depressed.'
When discussing her options with the consultant at Leeds General Infirmary, Miss Hussain was told she could be eligible for £8,000 leg-lengthening surgery on the NHS, which could add inches to her height.
She said: 'He explained my legs would have to be broken and pieces of metal would be inserted into my shins to add the extra inches. Apparently, similar surgery is normally used by people who have had their limbs damaged in an accident, like a car crash.
'He warned me it would be extremely painful, but told me it could add an extra three or four inches to my height - I knew I had to do it.'
It was another 12 months before the operation took place while Miss Hussain underwent blood tests in preparation.
In November 2010 the eight-hour surgery took place at Leeds General Infirmary, where metal rods were inserted into each leg to add the extra inches.
A metal brace was fitted to each leg, and attached with screws to ensure the pins in her legs did not snap.
She was also fitted with a cast and given a walking frame to help her balance.
But one year after the operation she suffered a crushing setback, when she bent down to let her cat out and her right leg snapped.
Miss Hussain said: 'It sent me right back to square one.
'After getting through a year of recovery, it was a real blow to be fitted with a new brace.
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