Too tall for school: The 14-year-old Brazilian girl who at 6ft 9in cannot fit on the bus

It's hard standing out from the crowd when you are a teenager but few schoolchildren can claim to be more visible than Elisany Silva.

Tallest: Elisany Silva towers over her friends as they play on the beach in  Braganca in the Brazilian Amazon state of Para. The 14-year-old cannot  attend school because at 6ft 9in tall she is too big to sit on the bus

The 14-year-old measures an unbelievable 6ft 9in tall, making her one of the biggest teenagers in the world.

The pretty youngster is believed to be suffering from a rare disease which has caused her extreme growth.

However, its exact nature has not been determined because her parents cannot afford to pay for doctors to investigate further.

A medical expert who was given details of her condition in Brazil without examining her said Elisany could be in danger of health problems.

It is thought that if her condition is left untreated, the 14-year-old could continue to grow at a rate of six inches a year.

The normal rate of growth for a child of her age is just a third of that amount.

Elisany now hopes to exploit her height and become a fashion model.

Some websites suggest she may soon achieve her dream, with one reporting that she was due to make her catwalk debut in Belem, Brazil, dressed as a bride.