23
Apr

A Girl with a 16-pound Facial Tumor Up for Operation in Miami

Author: jps61974

This just in from the GMA 7 24 Oras News and website. The Associated Press (AP) stated that a Vietnamese girl with a 16-pound (7.3-kilogram) facial tumor is in Miami awaiting surgery to restore her ability to eat and speak.

Fifteen-year-old Lai Thi Dao suffers from a Schwannoma tumor that has been growing since she was 3. The tumor has severely disfigured her face and kept her from ever attending school.

Doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove it in a 10-hour surgery on April 29.

Schwannoma tumors are usually benign. Lai’s doctors say the size of her tumor is extremely rare and that it likely won’t return once it is removed.

The International Kids Fund is seeking donations to fund Lai’s surgery.

Photos of the girl with a facial tumor will not be posted here. This is because some readers find the pictures gross.