Sandra Elaine Allen (June 18, 1955 – August 13, 2008) was an American woman 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 reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the tallest woman in the world. She was tall. Allen wrote a book, ''Cast a Giant Shadow''. 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. Her height was due to a tumor in her

pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...

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 h ...

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 ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

. She appeared in ''

Fellini's Casanova , image = Casanova_moviep.jpg , caption = Italian theatrical release poster , director = Federico Fellini , producer = Alberto Grimaldi , screenplay = Federico Fellini Bernardino Zapponi , based_on = ...

'', in the TV movie ''

Side Show In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers ...

'', and in a Canadian/American documentary film, '' Being Different''. The New Zealand band

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...

wrote a song about her, " Hello Sandy Allen", released on their 1982 album '' Time and Tide''. Allen never married, saying that she was "an oldfashioned 'sic''girl" and would not date a man shorter than her. In 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 ...

, the oldest living human at the time. 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, 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 urinatio ...

, breathing troubles, and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, 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 failure is classified as eit ...

. 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 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 Deaths from kidney failure American film actresses American women memoirists 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women

References

External links