During one of his recent check-ups, a small hospital in northern Ghana informed 29-year-old Sulemana Abdul Samed or Awuche that he had reached a height of 9 ft 6in (2.89m).
This would make him the tallest man on the planet, but there was a catch: the rural clinic couldn’t be sure of his height because it lacked the necessary measurement equipment.
The young man, who was diagnosed with gigantism a few years ago, was at a monthly checkup to cope with the challenges of living as a giant when he was requested to stand straight against a measuring rod.
Awuche is ‘Still growing’
I didn’t have a measuring tape with me when I first met Awuche a few months ago while traveling in northern Ghana, where his popularity had spread across the grasslands.
So, armed with a 16-foot measuring tape, I returned to the town of Gambaga last week to settle the matter.
The intention was for him to rest against a wall, mark it with the crown of his head, and then measure his height using a measuring tape.
He turned out to be taller than most of the houses in his neighborhood, but after a thorough search, we were able to locate a suitable structure with a high enough wall.
He removed his shoes, which were big slip-on constructed from car tires, and hammered them together for him by a local handyman because he couldn’t find shoes that fit him.
One of his neighbors climbed a wooden stool to reach Awuche’s height and mark the wall with a stick of charcoal.
After double-checking the line, we extended the measuring tape firmly from the specified line to the ground, as Awuche watched in suspense.
His tongue is still expanding
This gain in height became visible when he was 22 years old and residing in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
Awuche had traveled there after graduating from secondary school to try his luck in the city, where one of his brothers lived.
He was working at a butcher shop to save money for driving lessons at a driving school.
But one morning, he awoke confused: “I realized my tongue had expanded in my mouth to the extent that I couldn’t breathe [properly],” he recalls.
He went to a nearby pharmacy to buy some medication, but a few days later he saw that every other portion of his body had begun to grow in size.
Awuche is a bit of a local celebrity
But Awuche is not deterred by his problems. As his tall skinny form glides across the dusty lanes of the village, he is full of soul, smiling as people cry out to him.
A group of old folks sitting near a shed exchange pleasantries, children wave, and several women approach him for a hug and to share laughs.
Some people want to snap selfies with him, and strangers approach him to see whether he is the giant they saw on social media.
He is especially grateful to his family for their emotional support, stating that he is unaware of any other relatives, including his three brothers, who have his disease.
He would like to marry and have children one day, but first, he wants to focus on his health.
His first objective is to acquire funds for plastic surgery to treat a terrible skin condition on one leg, ankle, and foot caused by limb growth.
But, despite his bandaged toes, Awuche refuses to be discouraged by his situation.
