A local hospital in northern Ghana told 29-year-old Sulemana Abdul Samed, [nicknamed Awuche,] during one of his recent check-ups that he had reached the height of 9 ft 6in (2.89m).
“I realised my tongue had expanded in my mouth to the extent that I could not breath [properly],” he recounts.
He visited a local pharmacy to get some medication, however days later he realised every other part of his body had started increasing in size.
When family and friends from his village visited the city, they would all remark on his growth spurt and it was at this point he realised he was gradually turning into a giant.
He began to tower over everyone – and he sought medical help as the growth brought other complications.
He has been left with an abnormally curved spine, one of the prominent symptoms of his condition, Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting the body’s connective tissues.
It results in abnormally long limbs.
Related on the SLP
More serious complications involve heart defects.
Doctors say he needs a surgical procedure in his brain to stop the growth.
But Ghana’s public healthcare insurance cannot cover this, providing only for basic treatment.
For each hospital visit he must still raise about $50 (£40).
