World’s smallest woman delighted with title

LONDON - A Turkish woman, who weighs a little more than a newborn baby and is 28in tall, has expressed her joy at being named as the world’s smallest woman.

Hatice Kocaman, 21, from Kadirli, Turkey, revealed that she had always been bullied at school for her size, but she now feels very tall after being named as the world’s smallest.

“I always hoped that one day the world would recognise me. It was hard when I was a child because all my classmates used to tease me for being small,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

“But now I am famous because of my size. So it makes me feel like I am much taller.

“I hope to travel and to meet lots of people including the tallest man in the world. God made me the way I am and I am proud of that. I hope I can find someone who will love me one day,” she said.

The Guinness Book of Records recently certified Hatice, who suffers from dwarfism, as the second-smallest adult human alive.

She lives with her parents Ibrahim and Hatun, and her mother revealed that there were no problems during her pregnancy and that she had given birth naturally.

“She weighed 3lbs 10oz when she was born and was a normal baby. We never noticed any problems until she was one. Then we noticed she seemed to be growing more slowly than other babies,” her mother Hatun said.

As Hatice grew up, her parents realised that there was something wrong with her, and when they took her to the doctors for tests they were told she had a bone disorder caused by faulty genes carried by both parents.

The family could not seek help for Hatice, who suffers from hip dysplasia, as they did not have a car and could not afford to travel, so she never received treatment.

Hatcie, who weighs just 15lbs and has never been able to find work, stays at home with her parents and likes to help her mum by doing small jobs. (ANI)