The Story of Rumeysa Geigi Who Was Born Unique and Became the Tallest Woman on Earth

Rumeysa Gelgi was born on January 1, 1997, in Turkey. At the age of 26, she holds five different titles and records. She is recognized as the tallest woman in the world, with a height of 215.16 cm. We would like to share the story of this remarkable young woman with you.

Childhood and Weaver syndrome.

Rumeysa was born with an extremely rare genetic mutation called Weaver syndrome. It causes rapid growth in the body, often restricting the movement of the joints and making the bones weak. Before the age of 5, Rumeysa underwent two significant surgeries to be finally able to walk for the first time with the help of a walker.

Journey from the “Tallest teen” to the “Tallest woman”.

In 2014, Rumeysa was awarded the title of “the world’s tallest living female teenager” for being 7 feet 0.09 inches (213.6 cm) at the age of 17. In 2021, she grew 7 feet 0.7 inches tall (215.16 cm) claiming the title of “the tallest woman living”.

Because of her tall stature and medical condition, Rumeysa uses a wheelchair to move most of the time. However, she is determined to look on the bright side and make the best of every day. “Every disadvantage can be turned into an advantage for yourself, so accept yourself for who you are, be aware of your potential and do your best,” she said in an interview with Guinness.

One woman, five world records.

In addition to the two world titles for her height, Rumeysa bagged three more this year. She now has the longest finger of a living female (4.40 inches), the largest female hands (right 9.81 inches and left 9.55 inches), and the longest back for a female (23.58 inches).

She didn’t let anything hold her back from achieving her dreams.

“I often need to adjust things due to my height. Everything has to be altered to suit me, which can be very hard, but there are positives, too. I usually buy clothes from brands specialising in plus-size clothing, then alter them. I’ll find a dress that I like and then get it turned into a top. Bottoms always have to be tailored. It gives me a chance to be creative”.

Not being able to physically go to school, Rumeysa completed her education from home. She always wanted to work in the tech industry, she started studying web development and is now a self-taught Front-End Developer. She’s also an advocate and a researcher. In her free time, she likes to go swimming, shopping, explore new places, and cuddle her cat.

On November 8, 2022, Gelgi experienced her first-ever flight as she boarded an airplane. Turkish Airlines went to great lengths to accommodate her journey from Istanbul to San Francisco, California, in the United States.

“To make it work, six seats had to be closed in the economy section of the plane and a stretcher placed on them. I would lie down on that throughout the flight. Usually this option is available only for emergency medical travellers — I was the first person to use it as a regular passenger. It was a fully booked commercial flight, so there were a lot of curious people on board, but I had an incredible time.”

Rumeysa is truly unique, and we wish her good health. In the meantime, we invite you to take a look at other individuals whom nature has endowed with extraordinary appearances.