Monday, April 18, 2011

Meet Malee, the world's tallest teen... and even at 6ft 10in she could still be growing


Towering head and shoulders above her parents, this giant teenager is the tallest in the world at a whopping 6ft 10 in and she could still be growing.

Weighing in at 20.5 stone, Malee Duangdee from eastern Thailand knew she was different from a young age, growing much faster than her school friends.

At the age of nine, her mother, Ji, 40, took her to see a doctor because she noticed a difference between her daughter and her friends and she wanted to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her.

Malee Duangdee stands tall above a pick up truck and her friend, A Khoson

Malee Duangdee stands tall above a pick-up truck and her friend, A Khoson

Medics found a brain tumour that was pressing on a nerve. This caused a hormone imbalance which meant she never stopped growing - and now she has to have an injection that costs £2,000 every three months to control her growth.

Her height brought the 19-year-old problems while she was at school and she suffered from bullies and has memories of a lifetime of loneliness.

She said: 'I used to feel like a freak, schoolchildren used to bully me and call me names. But since leaving school I've tried to feel more comfortable with who I am. I've got used to life on my own, but it's hard.'

At 6ft 10ins she dwarfs her mother, Ji and father, Mam
Malee has to stoop to use a phone box because she is so tall

Malee dwarfs her mother, Ji and father, Mam (left) and is so tall she cannot fit inside a phone box

As a result of her tumour, Malee has lost her sight. 'I've been tall for as long as I can remember and taking medication is part of my daily life.

'But as I've got older my eyesight has got worse and it's really difficult for me to get around.'

Her mother said that they try to do their best by their daughter, but they struggle financially: 'The injections have really helped to control her growth but they are expensive.

Malee has to take drugs every three months to prevent a tumour from growing, thus preventing her from growing any taller

Malee has to take drugs every three months to prevent a tumour from growing, thus preventing her from growing any taller

Enlarge United by height: Malee met the world's shortest man, Khagendra Thapa Magar, 18, in April 2008

United by height: Malee met the world's shortest man, Khagendra Thapa Magar, 18, in April 2008

'She is supposed to have an injection every three to six months, but we can't always afford them so we are not sure if she's still growing.'

Malee's condition appears to be under control for the moment and since leaving school her life has turned round.

'All the kids used to call me names, the one I could never understand was "Dirty Malee". They were always so nasty.

'It would make me so sad. I was desperate to have some friends to play with but they all ignored me.

'Thankfully I had a good teacher who tried to help me and now I have nothing to do with them.'

Most of her time is now spent with her family, particularly her three-year-old sister, Daoruang.

'I help my mother around the house and cook meals. I don't do much.

'I've never had a boyfriend. I don't think marriage is possible for someone like me, I'm just too different.

'My father gets very worried about me, he doesn't let me go anywhere alone because sometimes I need help getting up, I'm pretty heavy.

'But I'd love to be like any other 19-year-old and live alone, build a life for myself and have fun but who knows what will happen.'

Malee was officially recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest girl in January 2009 knocking Brazilian Elisany Silva off the top spot. She was just 6ft 9in tall.

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