Leonid Stadnyk


Leonid Stepanovych Stadnyk was a Ukrainian man who claimed to have stood at 8 feet 5 inches or 2.57 meters tall.
Stadnyk's excessive growth began after brain surgery at the age of 13, after which he developed a pituitary gland tumor that caused the gland to secrete large amounts of growth hormone. This resulted in what doctors describe as acromegalic gigantism. Twenty years after the surgery, the doctors discovered the tumour had mysteriously disappeared and he was currently healthy. He reportedly wore US size 24.5 shoes. Although he held the title for a month, Stadnyk, having no interest in being in any record book, refused to be measured, ending his GWR recognition. Others have questioned the legitimacy of his record, noting that Stadnyk had never been officially measured by Guinness World Records, only by the "Ukrainian Book of Records" that says that he measures.

Death

Stadnyk died at the age of 45 on 24 August 2014 from a brain hemorrhage.