6’6 inch tall Pakistani teen forced to quit studies after being ridiculed for his height

Bilal Kuchay

A Pakistani boy was forced to quit his studies and live a life of a recluse after being ridiculed for his height by teachers and classmates.

Waleed Farukh from Quetta in Pakistan is only 13 years old but the teenager has reached an unbelievable height of 6 feet 6 inches – and is still growing.

Because of his massive frame, the sharp teenager was subjected to name called by the peers in his class forcing him to quit studies after class 8th.

With no friends whom he can play with, Waleed now spends time with his pet cats and a parrot at home.

‘I stopped going to school three years ago, when I was in class 8th. The teachers were regularly beating me, ridiculing me for my height. The fellow students were teasing me by calling Lamboo or tall boy. They would always address me with derogatory names.

‘It was difficult to be in the classroom surrounded by bullies so I stopped going to school.

‘I don’t have any friends with whom I can play outside. I play with my cats and parrot at home and spend my day watching TV and videos on Youtube or playing games on my smart phone,” lamented Waleed.

Waleed was born on June 26, 2004 as the third child to Farukh Sultan and Haleema Furqan.

By the time he turned four, he stood double the height of children his age.

His parents first thought he was growing faster but soon realised their son’s growth was unusual.

They took him to several doctors who told them Waleed was suffering from Gigantism, a condition caused by over growth of hormones leading to excessive growth and height significantly above average.

Haleema said: ‘At the age of four we saw Waleed almost double the height of his cousin, who was of his age. We took him to doctors who said he suffers from a hormonal condition and that nothing could be done.

‘He is taller than all the boys in the neighbourhood which makes us happy.

‘But people should understand that he is a normal boy. It is very sad that people look at him differently, ridicule him for being tall.

‘When he goes out, people stare at him, call him with different names which makes him very uncomfortable. As a mother, I feel very bad about it,’ says Haleema, who is a teacher at a government-run school.

His giant height also means Waleed has long feet that makes it difficult to find the right shoes.

Haleema said: ‘When we go out for shopping, it is a tough task to find clothes and shoes for him. His feet are 13 inches long and sometimes I have to give special order for his shoes.

‘We took him to an amusement park once as he was getting bored at home but he couldn’t ride a single car there because of his long legs,” said the mother recalling an incident.

However, despite all the shortcomings, Waleed’s parents see him a blessing and wish to give him the best possible life.

“We have accepted our son. I don’t have any expectations from people. If God has blessed him with this remarkable height, I am hopeful he’ll be able to do something fruitful with this blessing,’ asserts Haleema.