Sandra Elaine Allen (June 18, 1955 – August 13, 2008) was an American woman who was recognized by the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

as the tallest woman in the world. She was tall.

Early Life

Her height was due to a tumor in her

pituitary gland The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the human brain, brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus contr ...

that caused it to release

growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in ...

uncontrollably, between 200 and 1,000 times more than usual. She grew up in

Shelbyville, Indiana Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Indiana and is the county seat. The population was 20,067 as of the 2020 census. History In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the Un ...

, and was raised by her grandmother, who worked as a cleaning woman. At the age of 22, in 1977, she underwent surgery for the condition. Lacking this procedure, Allen would have continued to grow and suffer further medical problems associated with

gigantism Gigantism (, ''gígas'', "wiktionary:giant, giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average height, average. In humans, this conditi ...

Career

Although over the years other women have taken the title of the tallest woman, Allen held it for the last sixteen years of her life. She appeared in the film ''

Fellini's Casanova ''Fellini's Casanova'' () is a 1976 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini from a screenplay he co-wrote with Bernardino Zapponi, adapted from the autobiography of 18th-century Venetian adventurer and writer Giacomo Casanova, played by Dona ...

'' and the 1981

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

''Side Show'' as Goliatha. As herself, she appeared in the 1999 American documentary '' Sideshow: Alive on the Inside'', and in the Canadian/American documentary film, ''

Being Different ''Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism'' is a 2011 book by Rajiv Malhotra, an Indian-American author, philanthropist and public speaker, published by HarperCollins. The book reverts the gaze of the western cultures on Indi ...

''. The New Zealand band

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...

wrote a song about her, "Hello Sandy Allen", released in 1982. Allen never married, saying that she was "an oldfashioned 'sic''girl" and would not date a man shorter than her. In 2001, she dictated her life story to John Kleiman, which he wrote and published as ''Cast a Giant Shadow: The Inspirational Life Story of Sandy Allen “The World’s Tallest Living Woman”''. In her later years, Allen used a wheelchair because her legs and back could no longer support her tall stature while standing. At one point, she was bedridden due to disease, causing atrophy of the muscles. Due to this limitation, she spent her last years in

, in the same retirement center as

Edna Parker Edna Ruth Parker ( Scott; April 20, 1893 – November 26, 2008) was an American supercentenarian who, for 15 months, was recognized as the oldest person in the world. She was featured in two documentaries and included in a Boston University DNA ...

, the oldest living human at the time.

Death

Allen died on August 13, 2008. Her family friend, Rita Rose, revealed that she suffered from a recurring blood infection, along with

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

, breathing troubles, and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

Legacy

A scholarship was dedicated in Allen's name at Shelbyville High School. In 2020, Allen's friend and manager, John Kleiman, donated a collection of her memorabilia to

Ripley's ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals with bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' ...

Museums.

References

Evansville Courier & Press The ''Evansville Courier & Press'' is a daily newspaper based in Evansville, Indiana. It serves about 30,000 daily and 50,000 Sunday readers. History The ''Evansville Courier'' was founded in 1845 by William Newton, a young attorney. Its first ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Sandy 1955 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American memoirists American television actresses People from Shelbyville, Indiana People with gigantism Deaths from sepsis in the United States Deaths from kidney failure in the United States American film actresses American women memoirists 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women

Early Life

Career

Death

Legacy

References

External links