WASHINGTON: An American believed to be the world's tallest woman has died, nursing home staff said Thursday.Sandy Allen, 53, who grew to be more than seven feet, seven inches tall died Wednesday at a nursing home in Shelbyville, Indiana.A spokeswoman for the Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville said Allen "had been in failing health in recent years and died of natural causes."She had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest woman.By the time she was 10, Allen already stood six foot three. By 16, she was over seven feet tall, the Indianapolis Star daily said.It's believed that a tumor on her pituitary gland caused her abnormal growth.It was removed when Allen was in her 20s, but she continued to be affected by a variety of health issues related to her height, including poor circulation and weak leg muscles that kept her confined to a wheelchair in her later years.While her height brought her and the town of Shelbyville fame it also led to personal despair, especially in her late teens when she spoke about her height being an impediment to relationships.The newspaper quoted a letter Allen is said to have written to Guinness in 1974 in which she said: "I would like to get to know someone that is approximately my height. It is needless to say my social life is practically nil and perhaps the publicity from your book may brighten my life."
No comments:
Post a Comment