Rumeysa Gelgi
- Guinness World Records Holder
At just two weeks old Rumeysa Gelgi was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis. It was caused by Weaver Syndrome, a genetic disorder she was born with
For many years she didn’t realize she had scoliosis as it formed part of her life as far back as she can remember, for 17 years her days consisted of sitting for a maximum of 20 minutes and spending a majority of her time lying down.
This impacted her social life and affected her self-esteem, causing to shy away from potential friends and photographs. At the age of 17 she underwent an operation for the 65-degree curvature of her spine.
“Scoliosis is a major fact in my life, so I feel happy and proud to be able to take part in spreading awareness – hopefully I can do much more in the future”
The hardest obstacle she has had to overcome has been surgery; it was a major turning point in her life. Today, Rumeysa holds the Guinness World Record for tallest female under the age of 18 at 6’9”! It is the achievement she is most proud of though it is not all she has done post-surgery. She wrote a blog post after her first year of surgery, this post still garners feedback from many affected by scoliosis.
This has shown her the importance of connecting with others who share this unique experience. Her mission now is to spread a message that no matter the challenges one can pull through.
Aside from sharing her story online, reading crime and mystery novels are her favorite hobbies. She also loves spending quality time with her family, and traveling all over the country. There is much more confidence in her now and she aims to transmit that confidence to others that have lived through similar circumstances. If she could, she’d tell her younger self to socialize more, to spend time cultivating friendships, and to hold her head up high because though she wasn’t yet aware, she has a very strong soul.
She’d like those who were recently diagnosed to know that self-motivation will be key, that believing in yourself is paramount, and that you shouldn’t be afraid of understanding scoliosis and undergoing proper treatment.
She’d add that physical exercise is a great help, and something she wished she would’ve been able to do as well.
Rumeysa looks forward to the day when treatments for scoliosis aren’t identified by scarring and pain. Her experiences have both marked her and propelled her to overcome. As she looks back she is able to see just how strong she is at this point in her journey, strength she wishes all to experience for as well.
