Two Egyptian siblings suffered some piece of seclusion since age 12 following the development of a condition that causes excess production of growth hormones. Growing now to over a decade of their diagnoses, Mohamed Shehata and Huda Shehata hold five Guinness World Records between them after their hands, feet, and arm spans were measured.
They both have a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that accounts for their impressive sizes. As it appears, they may need surgery to stop the excessive growth hormone. According to Mohamed, their limbs are “growing unreasonably.”
“Since the age of 12, my life has been turned upside down. I wasn’t used to the new lifestyle of tall people. Everything seems small in my hands, even shaking hands with people has become a reminder of how I differ from others,” Mohamed said in a statement.
Huda said although she did not get to live a normal life, she takes consolation in the fact that she has a few world records to her name, Gulf News reported.
“I could not live my life as other women did,” Huda said in a media statement. “I hope the recognition of Guinness World Records will change my life forever. I have always dreamed of dressing like other women, but I accept myself now and live with satisfaction and conviction.”
The siblings have a combined height of 414.4 cm (13 ft 7 in) – nearly as tall as a London double-decker bus, according to Guinness World Records.
Huda, 30, has three world records to her name: largest feet on a living person (female) with 33.1 cm (1 ft 1.02 in) on her right foot, largest hands on a living person (female) with 24.3 cm (9.56 in) on her left hand and widest arm span on a living person for a female with 236.3 cm (7 ft 8.4 in).
Her brother, Mohamed, 34, holds the world title for the widest hand span on a living person (male) with 31.3 cm (12.32 in) on his left hand. He also has the widest arm span on a living person (male) measuring a massive 250.3 cm (8 ft 2.5 in).
Guinness World Records Adjudicator Kenzy Defrawy went to Egypt and met the siblings in a local clinic to authenticate their measurements. She was assisted by a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Khaled Emara, and his medical staff Dr. Mahmoud El Shopaky and Dr. Mohamed Nour.
It was from there that Defrawy gave the siblings their official world title with their family and the doctors of the clinic in attendance.
The Shehatas live in a small village 90 minutes from Cairo with their mother Rouhiya Abdulaziz. Since their sizes are larger than the average human, they tend to have their clothes custom-made by their local tailor, Terzi, who produces mostly Galabiyah, (a loose-fitting garment) for them.
Terzi sees them each year to alter their clothing to make room for their annual growth.
Huda and Mohamed’s excessive growth began before puberty. Usually, when it begins before that stage, it can lead to gigantism, experts say.
The tallest man alive, Sultan Kösen, from Turkey, opted for surgery in 2012 to treat a similar condition at the University of Virginia. His condition was acromegaly, which also develops when a benign tumor of the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone.
