ACCRA — The death of Sulemana Abdul Samed, widely regarded as Ghana’s tallest man, has prompted an outpouring of grief especially in the north of the country where his height had made him a local celebrity.
The 33-year-old died on Monday while receiving treatment at a teaching hospital in the northern city of Tamale, about 160 km south of his home village of Gambaga, where he had been admitted because sores on his legs had become infected.
The 7-feet-4-inches tall Ghanaian had struggled with mobility challenges and recurring health problems due to excess growth hormone.
He had been diagnosed with a rare hormonal disorder caused by the overproduction of growth hormone in adults, resulting in enlarged hands, feet, and facial features.
“Everyone knew how generous and kind he was. From when he died until now a lot of people are still coming to the house to find out what exactly happened,” a relative, Sulemana Abdul Kudus, has told the BBC.
Known to everyone by his nickname Awuche, which means “Let’s Go” in the Hausa language, he had long struggled with complications of Marfan syndrome, the genetic disorder which resulted in his extremely long limbs.
He had also struggled to pay his medical bills, but recently found a benefactor in the brother of Ghana’s President John Mahama, who also met the giant of Gambaga.
A successful businessman, Ibrahim Mahama had offered to cover his medical bills at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, and earlier this month gave an update on the planned treatment.
Kudus said the sores on Ache’s legs were not directly caused by Marfan syndrome but likely to be a complication caused by his condition.
He died on Monday morning at the hospital despite doctors saying he had been responding well to treatment.
“Everyone is just sad,” Kudus said, adding that the residents of Gambaga were shocked by his sudden death.
Awuche had made their village famous.
”Anywhere he found himself in the country and they asked him, he would say he is from Gambaga and people knew that was where the tallest man was from. It gave the community identity, and he was popular as well,” Kudus said.
Awuche had not always been unusually tall — it was at the age of 22 that he started to grow quicker than his peers.
He had been working at a butchers in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, when he first started to notice changes.
“I realized my tongue had expanded in my mouth to the extent that I could not breath [properly],” he had told the BBC.
Days later he realized every other part of his body had started increasing in size. Awuche was eventually diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, which affects the body’s connective tissues.
Nine years ago, his height forced him to give up his dreams of becoming a driver and return to Gambaga.
He said that Marfan syndrome had also curtailed his social life, adding: “I used to play football like every other young man, I was athletic but now I cannot even walk short distances.”
However, he seemed to maintain a positive outlook on life and enjoyed his celebrity status.
The family said they had decided to bury Awuche in Tamale instead of Gambaga as the village would have been overwhelmed with mourners.
Source: Saudi Gazette