The Chief Executive Officer of McDan Group of Companies Daniel McKorley, popularly called McDan has intervened to have Ghana’s tallest man, Sulemana Abdul Samed treated for a rare condition that makes him grow bizarrely tall.
The young man from the northern part of Ghana became popular last year following reports about his height which sparked speculations that he might be the tallest man in the world.
He was diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder called acromegaly, which is caused by an excess of growth hormone in the body.
According to him, Doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital have told him that he will continue to grow taller unless surgery is performed to halt it.
“I need help for surgery because the doctors said the growth is in my head, so I need surgery to stop it,” Samed cried in a Citi TV report.
The young man went on further to disclose that he is also suffering from chronic pains in his spinal cord, ostensibly as a result of the rare height.
Aside from the health-related issues associated with the height, Samed bemoaned how he has to use at least 14 yards of material to sew a single cloth for himself and that also has financial implications for him.
He spoke about how his mobile money business which served as a source of income for him has collapsed due to the financial pressure.
“His double-sized mattress and a student mattress have been combined to give him relative comfort, even that, he has to sleep in a diagonal way.
“From afar, he looks tall and like a giant but a closer view of him reveals Awuche is physically unfit.
“He is battling chronic wounds with a bandage tied to his left leg. There is also a visible wound on the right leg plus other health conditions,” citinewsroom.com reported last year.
Thankfully, McDan has offered to fund the treatment of Samed and make him live a meaningful life.
According to him, his team in the northern part of Ghana informed him about the young man’s situation following reports about his predicament.
“They called me that Awuche has a problem and his problem is lingering. So I quickly called Kelvin, my foundation team and Carlos to pay him a visit and see what we can do for him,” he told JoyNews.
According to myjoyonline.com, McDan Foundation has offered to fully fund the medical treatment of the young man.
“Having the tallest man in the world in your backyard is a big deal. If you ask me, it is a big deal and that must be looked at seriously. And as a nation we cannot allow such a person, excuse my language rot in the north,” the news website quoted the business mogul to have said.
Awuche is currently undergoing a series of ultrasound scans at the Blue Valley Specialist Medical Centre thanks to the McDan Foundation.
“Dr Bulley is one orthopaedic surgeon in the world and we happen to have him right here in Ghana. I took Awuche to the best doctor to look at his situation. It is expensive to use a doctor like Dr Bulley but it’s the results we want” McDan said.
Last year, a BBC reporter measured Samed and found him to be 7ft 4in. Hopefully, with the help that has come his way, the young man will be treated to enable him to enjoy his life.
Source: ANDREAS KAMASAH