African girl has football-sized tumour removed from her face

A 17-year-old girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo is recovering from a life-saving treatment to remove a football-sized tumour on her jaw.

The young girl, Grace, said the tumour had been growing for 10 years in her lower jaw.

“It started from a little swelling inside and the gums started growing little by little,” she told Barcroft Media.

“I was sick, I was always indoors, I was not happy anymore, I worried all the time.”

Doctors in her isolated town in the Congo were unable to offer any solutions.

“We went to hospital and they didn’t know what it was – they did nothing,” Grace said.

Grace was still able to eat and speak with increasing difficulty, and the discomfort and swelling started to affect her ability to breathe.

“I didn’t know what to do,” said Grace’s mother, Christine. “In hospital they just talked a lot but did nothing.”

But with the help of a local pastor, they were referred to the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest hospital ship that provides free health-care services to needy people around the world.

On the ship, Grace was given a CT scan and doctors determined that the tumour was caused by cells that usually make the enamel of teeth.

“When it grows where it is in the mouth – as it expands it pushes the tongue into the back of the throat and that’s when they get into airway crisis where they can’t breathe,” said surgeon Dr. Gary Parker. “Ultimately if she wasn’t treated, she could die from suffocation.”

Parker removed the bottom of Grace’s jaw and her teeth to remove the aggressive tumour. Her jaw was replaced by metal plates made of titanium. After healing, Grace will be able to get artificial teeth.

“That will help her with chewing,” Parker said. “Appearance-wise and functionally she should be able to have a normal life.”

(Photos via Barcroft TV)

Want the latest buzz before it goes viral?
Follow @YDailyBuzz on Twitter!