A woman who weighs little more than a new-born baby spoke of her joy today after being certified as the world's smallest woman.
Hatice Kocaman, just 28in tall, said she overcame bullying to become globally famous for her size.
Speaking at her home in Kadirli, Turkey, sahe said: '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.
'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.'
The 21-year-old, who suffers from dwarfism, lives with her parents Ibrahim and Hatun and was also recently certified as the second-smallest adult human alive by the Guiness Book of Records.
The only adult she is taller than is Nepalese man Khagendra Thapa Magar who at 25.8 inches is the world's smallest person.
'There were no problems in my pregnancy with her and I gave birth naturally,' said her mother Hatun.
'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.'
Ibrahim and Hatun, who also have a normal-sized son, took her for tests but doctors could not tell them what was wrong with Hatice.
Hatice continued to develop into a little girl and learned to walk and talk, but she hardly grew at all.
'She seemed to always stay the same size,' said Hatun.
'By the time she was four it looked like she had stopped growing.
'We asked the doctors to help, but they couldn't tell us what the problem was.
'We hoped she might start growing later on, but she never did.
'By the time she was ten, we realised she would always be this way.'
The parents said Hatice went for general medical checks every few years, where she was weighed and measured.
Finally they were told her condition may be due to a bone disorder caused by faulty genes carried by both parents.
The family live in a tiny home in a poor and remote area of the country.
They do not have a car and could not afford to travel to seek help for their daughter.
Hatice suffers from hip dysplasia and has a back problem, but has never received treatment for this.
Surgeons in the region are not skilled enough to operate on Hatice because of her size.
Hatice, who weighs just 15lbs, went to a special school but has never been able to find work.
Now she stays at home with her parents and likes to help her mum doing small jobs.
Hatice has always dreamed of becoming famous and news about her tiny size began to spread as she got older.
Finally an investigator for the Guinness Book of Records visited the area to see the family.
Hatice and her mum were invited to Istanbul where she was finally named the world's smallest woman.
Hatice says: 'I can carry little things and clean a little.
'I am happy living with my family. But I would like to be stronger, so I can do more things for myself.'
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