The Guinness World Record holder of the ‘World’s Tallest Living Woman’ title has been able to fly for the very first time as she embarks on a trip from her native Türkiye to the United States. But it wasn’t just her towering 215.16 cm (7ft 0.7in) frame that prevented her from travelling before now.
Rumeysa Gelgi was born with Weaver Syndrome, an incredibly rare genetic mutation that causes abnormally fast growth in children and people with Weaver Syndrome often end up with very tall stature.
For Rumeyasa, the condition not only means she holds the Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Tallest Living Female’ but also the longest finger on a living female, the largest hands on a living female and the longest back in a living female.
Unfortunately, the 25-year-old was also born with Scoliosis which causes a curvature of the spine. As a result of her multiple health conditions, Rumeyasa spends much of her time in specially adapted wheelchairs.
Until now, it has simply been too difficult to fly.
But ahead of her flight on Wednesday, Rumeyasa invited cameras along to accompany her at Istanbul Airport after Turkish Airlines offered to help so that she should could visit the United States – her first trip outside Türkiye.
For this trip, Turkish Airlines installed a special stretcher over a block of seats at the back of the Economy Cabin on her flight to the USA. Stretcher fit-outs are normally reserved for critically ill patients at the request of a medical insurance company who will pay for a nurse to accompany the patient.
Rumeyasa told reporters: “This will be my first flight as well as my first travel overseas. But I believe that this experience will be a first for many individuals, not just me. Because as you know, the option of traveling as a stretcher passenger is generally reserved for patients who are being transferred from one intensive care unit to another.”
“It is an alternative for patients who are referred from one hospital to another and need an ambulance. However, because I couldn’t sit for lengthy periods of time due to my scoliosis, or spine curvature disorder, I had to fly on a stretcher,” Rumeyasa continued.
Rumeyasa will be meeting with Guinness officials for an event and is also hoping to further her professional career as a software developer with a trip to San Francisco. Rumeyasa will also be spending some of her spare time sightseeing.
