May 15, 2014— — A 16-year-old girl is getting accustomed to seeing herself in a different light after a tumor weighing 4 pounds was successfully removed from her face by medical professionals.
Hennglise Dorival, a resident of Haiti, had been living with the big tumor for many years. Over the course of the last several years, the tumor had grown to the point that it compromised her ability to breathe and even forced her eye out of its socket.
When Hennglise was 12 years old, doctors discovered the tumor; however, local medical authorities were hesitant to do lengthy surgery on the teenager without better technology and a more in-depth analysis of the tumor. Without receiving any therapy. Her tumor began to expand, which led to significant damage being done to Hennglise’s jaw and the surrounding muscles.
Because of the size of the tumor, it even displaced her eye, which caused her to be almost blind on one side.
As the tumor spread, Hennglise’s mother, Yvrose, pulled the adolescent out of school and the two seldom went anywhere outside of the home. When Hennglise did go out into public, she concealed her appearance by wrapping a scarf over her head.
Eventually, members of Operation Smile, a charity that offers free surgery to restore cleft palates, were made aware of Hennglise’s condition. They immediately began fundraising efforts in order to transport both Hennglise and her mother to the United States for the procedure.
“All these youngsters we’ve seen. “They get so shunned in their communities,” said Dr. William Magee Jr., chief executive officer of Operation Smile and director of cleft lip, cleft palate, and craniofacial surgery at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughter in Norfolk, Virginia. Children born with cleft lip and cleft palate are treated at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughter. They said that the people in Port-au-Prince were shockingly unfriendly and unwelcoming. After they moved to the United States, they reported that everyone in this country is really kind.
Earlier this month, Magee performed surgery on Hennglise, and after the procedure, he said that the tumor was the biggest of its sort that he had ever removed.
Magee said that the tumor was four pounds in weight but thankfully did not enter the patient’s skull. “Over time, the cells evolved into an aberrant structure that eventually became this mass. It had a solid, thick, and hefty consistency. It was incredible that against all of the odds, this poor child had managed to live.
The removal of the tumor, which had become so enormous that it threatened to obstruct her airway if it continued to grow at the same pace, took the physicians a total of twelve hours.
“Probably within a period of six months, it would have occluded her airway,” said Magee. “It seems to be a malignancy that originated in the teeth. When it was still rather little, you would go to a surgeon in the United States to get it removed. Because no one knew exactly what it was, it was allowed to develop into its current monster form.
Hennglise still has to undergo a few surgical procedures, the most significant of which will be to correct the issue with her jaw. Due to the fact that the tumor was located in her jaw, the surgical procedure required the removal of a portion of the bone in her lower jaw. Hennglise will now only consume meals that are either soft or liquid.
However, in spite of the challenges, the young woman is maintaining a positive outlook towards her rehabilitation. According to Magee, Hennglise made the decision to quit using the scarf to protect her face even the morning before the procedure.
“She took it and threw it on the couch and said, ‘I won’t need it anymore,'” Magee recounted. “She did not need it anymore.”
She looks to be more outgoing around her physicians and nurses, according to Magee and the other officials from Operation Smile, who said that Hennglise’s disposition has drastically altered ever since the operation.
“I’m happy. “My face is smaller,” Hennglise told a worker from Operation Smile via a translator. “My face is smaller.” “In a positive manner, the shape of my mouth has changed. I understand things will get better with time.”Magee reported that Hennglise is making progress in her recovery and is becoming more outgoing as a result of her new face. The procedure took place a little more than two weeks ago.
Yvrose, Hennglise’s mother, expressed to a spokesman for Operation Smile, via a translator, her hope that their family and other people may be more tolerant of Hennglise in the future. Hennglise was born with a cleft lip and palate.
Yvrose Dorival said that their relationship had evolved as a result of surgery because she felt more at ease in the presence of Hennglise. “The disproportionate size of her face made other people, as well as myself, uneasy. Hennglise had a lot of anxiety about going out and interacting with other people before the procedure. However, not any longer.”