[2][3] Her height was due to a tumor in her pituitary gland that caused it to release growth hormone uncontrollably, between 200 and 1,000 times more than usual.

[6] The New Zealand band Split Enz wrote a song about her, "Hello Sandy Allen", released on their 1982 album Time and Tide.

[4][7] In later years, Allen used a wheelchair because her legs and back could no longer support her tall stature while standing.

Due to this limitation, she spent her last years in Shelbyville, Indiana, in the same retirement center as Edna Parker, the oldest living human at the time.

[1][5] Her family friend, Rita Rose, revealed that she suffered from a recurring blood infection, along with Type 2 diabetes, breathing troubles, and kidney failure.