Rumeysa Gelgi, the tallest woman in the world, revealed that she must pay for six seats on a plane every time she travels.
Normally, Rumeysa, who is 28 years old, stands at 2.15 meters tall and must lie down during the entire flight due to her unique medical condition.
Rumeysa, who hails from Karabük District in Turkey, uses a wheelchair or requires assistance to move around in daily life. So far, Turkish Airlines is the only airline that accommodates her air travel needs by removing six seats and installing a special stretcher-like platform for her to lie down on.
Her first flight was in September 2022, when she traveled from San Francisco to California. Since then, Rumeysa has visited countries including Spain, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom. However, her journeys are never easy as she must always travel lying down and arrive at the airport four hours early to receive medical assistance.
Although she hopes to visit more destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, and Seoul, her biggest dream is to explore historical sites near her hometown of Safranbolu. Unfortunately, that location is still not accessible to people with disabilities like hers.
Rumeysa explains that one of the biggest challenges she faces is how most places are not designed with people with disabilities in mind. She adds that although many staff members are kind and willing to help, the methods they use are often not safe enough.
She concluded by calling for the development of modern and safe ways to help people with disabilities access historical sites, because everyone deserves the opportunity to connect with the history and poetry of the world.
Rumeysa lives with a rare condition known as Weaver Syndrome, which causes excessive growth compared to others.
