Gambaga, Northern Ghana (Commonwealth Union)_29 year old Sulemana Abdul Samed who went for a recent check up to his doctor at a rural hospital in northern Ghana had the surprise of his life. He was told that he had reached a record height of 9 feet 6 inches (2.89 meters) making him the tallest man in the world. Unfortunately however, the rural clinic does not have proper measuring tools and therefore the height could not be authenticated fully although, Sulemana who goes by his nickname Awuche, has grown taller than the measuring rod, which he was asked to stand against.
Awuche was diagnosed with Gigantism a few years ago but lives with numerous complications due to the fact that he has never stopped growing. Since he couldn’t be measured within the clinic premises accurately as Awuche was taller than most of the houses in the village, a building with a high enough wall was found. His shoes made of car tyres and nailed together as there are no store-bought shoes that fit this gargantuan man were removed and Awuche was asked to stand flat and straight against the wall. A neighbor clambered on a wooden stool and marked the height with a piece of charcoal, after which a measuring tape was stretched firmly to confirm his height.
Technically, the tallest man in the world lives in Turkey and is 8 feet 2 inches tall which means Awuche is a whole foot plus taller than he. Unfortunately unlike the man in Turkey who is in the Guinness Book of World Records, Awuche may not get his name there just yet as the measurements remain inaccurate from the Guinness Record point of view.
But while Awuche, whose unusual height was noticed in when he was 22, has celebrity status in his village, his height problems are giving rise to health issues. Working at a butchers at the time and saving money to go to driving school, he realized his tongue had expanded and he couldn’t breathe. Days later, other parts of his body began expanding too.
He has an abnormally curved spine which is a symptom of Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissues resulting in abnormally long limbs. Heart defects also ensue and given that Awuche is continuing to grow, medical experts believe the only way to stop the growth spurt is through neuro-surgery.
Needless to say, his dreams becoming a driver has been shattered as he cannot fit behind the steering wheel of a regular car.
However, Awuche enjoys being the local celebrity. He waves, chats, hugs and shares jokes with people and is ever ready to take a photograph or two. While he does want to get married and have children one day, his priority now is to sort out his health problems which unfortunately are becoming quite prohibitive not to mention, expensive.
