Don Koehler it was a job that spared him from living in any "freak show business". Later in life, he suffered from the medical condition kyphosis, resulting in (often severe) curvature of the spine. Koehler died in 1981 in Chicago from a reported heart condition, by which time he was estimated to be about 239 cm (7'10") tall. He was 55 years old. Don Koehler Donald A. Koehler (September 1, 1925 – February 26, 1981) is one of 17 known people in medical history to reach a height of 8 feet (2.44 m) or more. He was generally recognized as the tallest
The Gifts of the Body the patients and the caregiver. The book contains ten short stories, the titles of each being associated with "gifts" which are various functions of the body, both physical and emotional: sweat, wholeness, tears, skin, hunger, mobility, death, speech, sight, hope, and mourning. The caregiver experiences each "gift", as he/she deals with patients who have AIDS, showing the different shared relationships in each case. Each patient is a distinct case, differing in terms of age, financial situation, attitude toward the illness etc., showing the reader that this disease affects all types of people. The book is written in the "no-frills style"