Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely

youtuberJun 19, 2021 at 13:14

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Being recognized as the tallest woman in the world helped Allen accept her height and become less shy. She could even joke about this. "It was like taking her out of her shell," said family friend Rita Rose.

Allen passed away at a retirement center in Shelbyville, Indiana, at the age of 53. The 2.32m tall woman was confined to a wheelchair for several years because her body could not support itself. She was hospitalized in the last months of her life due to recurrent sepsis, diabetes, shortness of breath and kidney failure

A tumor of Allen's pituitary gland was producing too much growth hormone. In 1977, she underwent surgery to stop growing taller. However, she is proud of her height and when she was alive, this woman often wore T-shirts with educational messages.

When she was born, Sandra attracted the attention of midwives and hospital doctors because of her size and weight compared to other normal newborns. However, the family did not pay much attention to this issue. It wasn't until Sandy grew up and hit puberty, and her height and figure was still much taller than usual, that people started to find it strange. When she was in 5th grade, she was 1.9 meters tall and by the age of 18, she reached 2.16 meters.

Sandy Allen has an unhappy family situation. She was abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandmother. In her small town, Sandy Allen is becoming increasingly popular for one simple reason: She's too tall. But this popularity does not bring joy, but on the contrary, it is stigma and excessive scrutiny. Sandy's friends ridiculed her for being giant and unfeminine and ostracized her.

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 1

The family was not very well off, so raising Sandy was not easy. She said that her grandmother had to separate a 2.5 meter long bed for her to sleep in and had to put it in the dining room to have enough room. Finding clothes and shoes for Sandy was also difficult.

In 1976, Guinness World Records officially recognized Sandy Allen as the tallest woman on the planet with a specific measurement of 2.31 meters. To this day, despite her death, Sandy still holds this record.

After getting this title, Sandy's life changed completely. From an ordinary office worker, she suddenly received many invitations for interviews in newspapers and television, even including offers to act in movies. She once acted in a movie called Side Show with the role of a giant heroine. With his great height, the producer does not need to use effects with this character.

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 2

After that, Sandy went on to become a book author and speaker. She travels around the world to share what it's like to be someone with a different appearance. She participated in many documentaries and many events, attracting all eyes everywhere because everyone had to look up to see Sandy. She also used her popularity to participate in many campaigns for people with disabilities who have different looks.

However, behind that strange aura is a series of tragedies that until the end of her life, in her autobiography Cast A Giant Shadow, the tallest woman in the world experienced.

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 3

The reason why Sandy possesses great height is not due to genes because her parents and relatives are of average height. Sandy has a tumor in her pituitary gland. This tumor causes her body to produce growth hormone abnormally, 200 to 1000 times higher than the average person. When she was a teenager, doctors suggested that Sandy's family be operated on to remove the tumor to stop the growth. However, because the situation was too poor, they took the girl home.

It was not until the age of 22, after becoming famous because of the Guinness World Record, that Sandy was sponsored for free surgery. If the tumor is not removed, the doctors said that Sandy will continue to grow taller, not knowing what the limit is. In her autobiography, Sandy said that she was extremely painful when she did not receive surgery from a young age. If her family hadn't refused that year's offer, she would have been made into a girl whose height was only slightly above everyone else's, and lived a better normal life.

Sandy Allen has never been married or even been in a relationship. The reason is simple but also heartbreaking because no one can match her height. After her grandmother's death, Sandy lived alone and spent the last days of her life lost in an intensive care unit with a condition that could not be worse.

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 4

Sandy Allen has never been married or even been in a relationship. The reason is simple but also heartbreaking because no one can match her height. After her grandmother's death, Sandy lived alone and spent the last days of her life lost in an intensive care unit with a condition that could not be worse.

In his first letter to the Guinness World Records in 1974, Allen revealed his difficulties: "I would like to meet someone of similar height to me. Needless to say my social life. is zero and perhaps the publicity of your book will shed some light on my life."

It was this letter that worked. Allen got his first date with a 2.1m tall Illinois man. Federico Fellini then cast her as Angelina the Giantess in his 1976 Oscar-winning film, Il Casanova de Federico Fellini. She also appeared in a 1981 television series, Side Show, and in a Canadian-American documentary, Being Different.

Being recognized as the tallest woman in the world helped Allen accept her height and become less shy. She could even joke about this. "It was like taking her out of her shell," said family friend Rita Rose.

When she was just entering middle age, Sandy had to be in a wheelchair 24/7 because her legs and back were no longer strong enough to support her huge height of more than 2.3 meters. Not long after that, after being in a wheelchair, he was bedridden. Sandy suffered from muscle atrophy and could only lie down all day, needing someone to take care of her. Due to the effect of her huge body, she also suffered from a series of other diseases including type 2 diabetes, blood infections, stomach diseases and respiratory diseases.

On August 13, 2008, Sandy Allen died at the age of 53 in the intensive care unit. After 13 years, so far, no woman has surpassed Sandy's height record.

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 5

Allen: Tragedy of the tallest woman in the world, famous all her life and lonely - Photo 6

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