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German shoes for probably the longest feet in the world
For many decades, Georg Wessels has been gifting the world’s tallest people with suitable footwear. photo
© Jesus Vargas/dpa
A shoemaker from Münsterland has been giving gifts to gigantic people for years. Now the journey went to South America. The recipient was a Venezuelan with feet more than 40 centimeters long.
The man with perhaps the largest feet in the world has… Venezuela received three new pairs of shoes from a German shoemaker. “I’m happy because it’s a great blessing to have new shoes,” said 28-year-old Jeison Rodriguez, who continues to grow due to an illness, to dpa.
The shoemaker Georg Wessels (71), who has long since retired, traveled from western Münsterland in North Rhine-Westphalia to Venezuela to the northern city of Maracay, where Rodriguez lives. In his luggage he had a pair of sandals, closed street shoes and a mix of both with a shoe size of just under 70 for his more than 40 centimeter long feet.
“We intentionally made these shoes a little bigger than he actually needs them,” said Wessels, so that Rodriguez could walk around in them a little longer. In six months or a year he would most likely need new measurements again. Because of the security situation in Venezuela, Wessels received help from the German embassy and the Catholic Church during the trip.
Sad background: tumor is the reason for growth
A tumor on the pituitary gland causes sufferers like Rodriguez to continue to grow – with dangerous consequences. If medication and surgery do not stop growth, the giants usually die early. The body can no longer cope with the size. “Jeison doesn’t have the money for the treatment,” said Wessels before they left.
When last measured, Rodriguez was 2.36 meters tall. “I have severe pain in my back, my neck, my spine,” said the 28-year-old. “I live in an apartment that’s too small for me, so I have to tilt my head a lot and if I forget, I hit it.”
Special friendship with customers
The two came into contact through one of Rodriguez’s cousins, who had seen a report about Wessels’ shoe business in Germany. For many decades, the shoe specialist has been gifting the world’s tallest people with suitable footwear.
Initially the actions were linked to advertising for his shoe shop in Vreden. But now so much private money has flowed into the trips that he can only explain it with his friendship with his customers. He simply feels sorry for people like Jeison, said Wessels. The new shoes were made by his nephew Adrian, who took over the business.