World's Tallest Man Marries Syrian Woman Three Feet Shorter
The tallest man in the world was married in Turkey to a Syrian woman who is nearly three feet shorter than he is.
Sultan Kosen, 31, stands 8' 3" tall and has a hefty height advantage over his 5' 7" bride whom he describes as the "love of my life."
"I cannot describe my feelings in words," the 31-year-old groom said during the wedding celebration in his hometown in the southeastern province of Mardin on Sunday, as reported by AFP.
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"I am the happiest man in the world," he was quoted as saying on the website of the state-run Anatolia news agency.
His 20-year-old bride Mervi Dibo, who hails from the Syrian town of Hasaka, added: "I hope this happiness will be long-lasting."
Kosen suffered from the rare condition known as acromegaly, which causes his body to continually produce a growth hormone.
Doctors had long suspected that Kosen's condition was due to a tumor in the pituitary gland located at bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. He went to Virginia in 2012 to see if doctors could get him to stop growing.
Dr. Mary Lee Vance, an endocrinologist at the University of Virginia, explained at the time that it was "a spontaneous mutation causing the tumor, and it's not hereditary."
Doctors used a precisely targeted shot of extremely high frequency gamma rays, using a non-invasive radiosurgical device known as a Gamma Knife.
The procedure worked and Kosen stopped growing.
However the great size of Kosen puts great strain on his body as the human body and heart is not well designed for a person who is eight feet tall. He requires the use of crutches to walk.
Kosen has also set other records related to his size. His hands measure 10.8 inches across and his feet are 13.7 inches long and require him to wear a size 28 shoe, both of which are world records.
