The Tallest Woman Ever

Zeng Jinlian - The Tallest Woman ever

 

Zeng Jinlian

 

       Zeng Jinlian Zeng Jinlian (June 26, 1964 – February 13, 1982) was the tallest female ever recorded in medical history, taking Jane Bunford's record. 

       Zeng Jinlian is also the only female counted among the 16 individuals in medical history who reached a verified eight feet or more. 

    At the time of her death at the age of 17 she was 8 feet 1.75 inches (248.3 cm) tall. However, she could not stand up straight due to a severely deformed spine.

                         Sun Fang - The Tallest Woman alive?

 

Sun Fang

      Probably the tallest living woman in the world is Sun Fang from China, who is 7 feet 3 inches (221 cm) tall, after the death of Yao Defen on 13 November 2012. 

     She was often mistaken for Yao Defen because of their likeness in appearance.

                                            Yao Defen

 

  Yao Defen

       Yao Defen of China, was the tallest living woman, as recognized by Guinness World Records.  She stood at 7 ft 8 in tall, weighed 179 kilograms, and had size 26 / 78 feet.  Her gigantism was due to a tumor in her pituitary gland. 

Born: July 15, 1972, Shucheng County, China

Died: November 13, 2012, Zhucheng, China

Height: 2.34 m

     Yao Defen claimed to be the tallest woman in the world. However, Guinness Book of World Records listed the American giantess Sandy Allen as the world's tallest woman until her death on 13 August 2008, and disputed Yao Defen's claim until the 2011 edition of the Guinness World Records. 

     She weighed 200 kg (440 lbs) and had size 57 (EU) (around 20 US) feet. Her gigantism was due to a tumor in her pituitary gland.

     Yao Defen was born to poor farmers in the town of Liuan in the Anhui province of Shucheng County. At birth she weighed 6.16 pounds. At age 3 she was eating more than three times the amount of food that other three-year-olds were eating. 

     When she was 11 years old she was about 6 foot 2 inches tall. She was 6 foot 8 inches tall by the age of 15. The story of this "woman giant" began to spread rapidly after she went to see a doctor at age 15 for an illness.

     After that, many companies attempted to train her to be a sports star. The plans were abandoned, however, because Yao Defen was too weak. Because she was illiterate, Yao Defen was forced to earn a living by traveling with her father and performing.

Yao Defen - Pituitary Gland

     Yao Defen's giant stature was caused by a large tumor in the pituitary gland of her brain, which was releasing too much growth hormone and caused excessive growth in her bones. A hospital in Guangzhou Province removed the tumor, and she stopped growing.

     The tumor returned however and she was treated in Shanghai in 2007, but was sent home for 6 months with the hope that medication would reduce her tumor enough to allow surgery.

     Yao Defen - measured at 7 feet 9 inches tall?

     A British television programme filmed a documentary on her and helped raise money so she could get proper medical care. They did measure her and according to the documentary she even was 7 feet 9 inches tall. 

     Two leading doctors in acromegaly agreed to help Yao. She was taken to a nearby city hospital, where imaging procedures revealed that a small portion of her tumor, removed many years before, still remained, causing continuing problems, including weakening vision as it pressed against her optic nerve. 

     She returned home and was admitted for a month under observation in the larger Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, and given dietary supplements.

      In that hospital, her growth hormone was greatly slowed down, although it is still a problem. Upon her return home to her mother and brother, she was able to walk with crutches, unassisted by others, and was given a six-month supply of medicines and supplements in hopes of improving her condition enough to undergo surgery.

Yao Defen - Ill Health

     Yao Defen suffered from hypertension, heart disease, poor nutrition, and osteoporosis. Acromegaly often results from a tumor within the pituitary gland that causes excess growth hormone secretion.

      As a result, the body's features become enlarged. It can also delay the onset of puberty as is the case with Yao Defen. She has no secondary sex characteristics. Potential complications without necessary surgery include blindness and eventually premature death.

Yao Defen - Death

     She lived with her mother (who is only 4 feet 8 inches tall) in a small village in rural China. Yao Defen died on 13 November 2012.

SOURCE:  Wikipedia

TheTallestMan.com