Post date: Jun 06, 2012 1:56:4 PM
HONG KONG, CHINA (JUNE 6, 2012) (REUTERS) - The world's tallest man Sultan Kosen said on Wednesday (June 6) he had stopped growing after undergoing multiple surgeries.
The eight-feet-three-inches (251 cm) tall Turk attended a Guinness World Records Attractions promotional event in Hong Kong.
Standing at eight feet three inches, Guinness-certified tallest man in the world Sultan Kosen stops growing after multiple surgeries.
Kosen had grown two inches since being crowned the world's tallest living man at eight-feet-one-inch in September 2009.
A tumour in his brain produced hormones that spurred his growth.
But Kosen has since undergone multiple surgeries and received treatment from the University of Virginia in the U.S.
Although Kosen now says he has stopped growing and is in stable health conditions, the 29-year-old part-time farmer still has to rely on crutches to walk.
The world's tallest man, who reached his father's height when he was seven, said his unusual body size gave him a difficult childhood.
"Since I was tall, I faced obstacles in life. I had rough days. I couldn't get out of my room. My family had financial difficulties so I couldn't receive treatment. I was secretly crying in my room. I needed to burst out. It restricted my life. But ever since I have been certified by the Guinness World Records, my life has begun anew. I am very happy," Kosen said.
Kosen's hands are wider than anyone else's in the world at 28.5 cm.
On Wednesday (June 6), Kosen also announced for the first time that he now has a girlfriend.
He stressed that a positive attitude in life is essential.
"Here is my advice to everybody: Don't get frustrated with life. Life is short. We shall know how to live. You only live once. If we don't live freely and even if we avoid everything and everyone in the world, it won't change anything. Therefore, nobody should get away from other people even if they are handicapped or disabled. Everybody has the right to live," Kosen said.
Kosen flew to Hong Kong to promote the launch of the Guinness World Records Attractions concept in Asia.
Each Attraction site will give visitors opportunities to break and set official world records such as stacking the greatest number of cups or having the loudest scream.
The Jim Pattison Company, which has a revenue of 78.4 billion U.S. dollars and owns both Guiness World Records and Ripley Entertainment Inc., will launch the first Guinness World Records Attraction in Canada within a year and hopes to open one in an Asian city in the next three years, according to Jim Pattison Jr. who sits in the Company's board of directors.
Pattison Jr., who is also the president of the Ripley Entertainment Inc., said the future is in Asia.
"We believe that the future is in Asia, and I'm coming from the United States, but everything that we've seen convinces us that this is where the future is, so we intend to be part of it," Pattison Jr. said.
On Wednesday, Kosen also showed off his size-60 feet to about two dozen journalists.
Kosen is one of the ten people in human history to grow beyond eight feet, according to Guinness World Records.
The tallest man in history was Robert Pershing Wadlow, who lived in the early 1900s and stood at eight feet 11 inches (272 cm) tall.