The removal of a tumor that was so large that it covered half of a Nepalese man’s face and caused him to lose vision in one eye has finally been completed.
Before he had surgery, people would cruelly gaze at him, take photos of him without his consent, and in one instance, they even accused him of having been a demon in a previous life.
Ashok Shrestha, 60, from Kathmandu, Nepal, was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a rare hereditary illness that causes tumors to grow on nerve tissues. Shrestha lives in Nepal’s capital city.
Since he was only two years old, the former accountant has had tumours on his face. By the time he was 30, these tumours had grown to be over six inches in length, covering over half of his face and leaving him blind in his right eye.
On the left, a photo of Ashok taken before he had surgery to lessen the size of the tumor that covered over half of his face. After Ashok had surgery to lessen the size of the tumor that he was suffering from. The former accountant is afflicted with neurofibromatosis, which is an extremely uncommon hereditary condition that leads to the development of tumors on a person’s nerve tissues.
Since Ashok was two years old, he has suffered from tumours on his face. By the time he was 30, the tumours had spread over more than half of his face and caused him to be blind in his right eye. He was discovered by a London-based vocalist when she was still living in Kathmandu and she was walking the streets there.
In spite his going to India for treatment in 1989, the tumors kept getting worse, and the stigma that other people had against Ashok only became worse as well.
People were staring at him, questioning him about the sickness, and taking photographs of him without his consent without any shame. At one point, a guy even went so far as to accuse him of having been the devil in a previous life.
Because of his appearance, Ashok had a hard time finding work, despite the fact that he had a master’s degree in accounting. This made it more difficult for him to get employment.
Ashok was left with nothing following the deaths of both of his parents. His father passed away from a heart attack, and his mother passed away shortly after from a brain hemorrhage.
Ashok was fed up with his health worsening and the unsuccessful operations, so he set out to find the top doctor in the world in the hope that the tumors might be removed once and for all.
As soon as Ashok learned that Dr. Mckay McKinnon was a plastic surgeon who specialized in the treatment of huge tumors, he started his campaign to raise money via crowdfunding.
The tumors continued to grow even after the patient had surgery in India in the year 1989. He was fed up with the social stigma he endured and sought out a doctor in the hope that the tumors may be removed.
On the left is a photo of Ashok when he was a youngster, before the tumor began to develop. On the right is a photo of Ashok when he was younger, posing with his father. Ashok lost both his parents—his father and his mother—to death, leaving him with nothing.
Kristina Allen, a 24-year-old singer now residing in London, spent her childhood in Kathmandu, where she often saw Ashok when he was patronizing a neighborhood tea store.
After completing her studies in the United Kingdom, Kristina came back to Kathmandu for the Christmas vacations in 2015. She had the desire to assist Ashok, so she immediately got to work spreading the word about his crowdfunding effort.
By using several social media platforms, Kristina established a Go Fund Me website in support of Ashok, and the amount raised swiftly surpassed £31,000.
In March of 2018, Ashok had his first operation, and he has undergone a total of five further surgeries since then, the combined effects of which have resulted in a 90% reduction in the size of his tumor.
Not only have the procedures helped him feel more confident in himself, but they have also given him the capacity to speak fluently, something he was previously unable to do because of the tumor that covered his lips.
Even though Ashok cannot see out of his right eye, he has been fitted with a prosthetic eye, which has had a tremendous positive impact on his sense of self-worth.
Kristina Allen, a singer now living in London, spent her childhood in Kathmandu, where she often saw Ashok sitting on the street. She moved back to the area in 2015 and immediately went to work raising awareness of a crowdsourcing effort in order to assist Ashok in reaching his goal of affording surgery.
On the left is a picture of Ashok in the hospital with Dr. Mckay McKinnon, the surgeon who performed his operations in Chicago. Right: Ashok recovering in the hospital after his first operation. The procedures to decrease Ashok’s tumor required funds, and the crowdsourcing effort generated nearly 31,000 pounds to provide that financing.
As a result of this increase in self-assurance, Ashok was able to get a job at a Nepalese restaurant in his new hometown of Chicago. However, Ashok’s long-term goal is to return to his previous profession of accountancy.
“When I was two, a doctor from London came to Nepal, and I had my first operation,” Ashok recounted. “He was on a medical mission.”
However, the growth of the tumors continued. Nothing significant happened until I was thirty, at which point I had more operations in India to attempt to remove the tumor that now covered half of my face. Before that, nothing had really altered.
It was determined that these operations carried out in India were unsuccessful. Because of my appearance and the way I carried myself, many people began to be afraid of me.
“Because of the size of the tumor that was on my face, it was extremely difficult for me to consume food and liquids.” since of this, it was difficult for other people to comprehend what I was saying since my speech was as jumbled.
Because of the way I appeared, one person even told me that they thought I had been a demon in a previous life.
Before undergoing surgery, Ashok paid a visit to a gallery in Nebraska, where a portrait of him is now on display.
Rachel Mindrup, the artist who created the picture of Ashok that is now on show at the Nebraska art gallery, is seen standing next to Ashok. The portrait of Ashok can be seen on the wall behind the two of them.
“In Nepal, people with conditions like his are often subjected to discrimination. People tend to look at me for extended periods of time, which makes me feel quite awkward and uneasy.
‘There are others who approach me so closely that they can see my face, and they demand to know why I seem the way I do.
“Thanks to Kristina’s assistance, we were successful in launching a crowdsourcing campaign, and since then, I’ve undergone five surgeries in the United States, all of which have been very successful.”
“They were successful in removing ninety percent of the tumor that was located on my face, and I now have an artificial eye.” After all this time, I still can’t believe how much progress has been made.
I just also obtained a work as a chef at a Nepali restaurant in Chicago, and I’m beginning to feel accepted and like a part of society as a result of this.
Even though Ashok is finding it much easier to go about his daily life in Chicago after he had his procedures, he is still aware of other people gazing at him, but he has high hopes that one day he would be viewed as just another ordinary person.
Ashok is optimistic that his long-held goal of receiving medical care on par with that accorded to any other individual will one day be realized, since he has at least two more operations scheduled to remove as much of the residual tumor as is physically feasible.
Ashok is optimistic that his desire will one day be realized despite the fact that he will need at least two more procedures to remove as much of the residual tumor as is physically feasible.
His ultimate objective is to facilitate work opportunities for those who are afflicted with neurofibromatosis.
Ashok added, “I am no longer subjected to the same level of harassment that I once experienced in Nepal.”
“However, I still notice that some people are staring at me,” she said. I have a deep-seated desire to be seen as just another typical human being.
Prior to undergoing surgery, Ashok struggled with feelings of insecurity and was often the object of ridicule from people he didn’t know. He claims that the amount of abuse he faced in Nepal is no longer an issue for him in this country.
“I’m hopeful that one day, this day will come – especially considering that my remaining tumors should be removed in the future.”
“I would love to take some classes that would make it possible for me to get better employment if the opportunity were to present itself,” she said.
“My dream is to establish a foundation that will assist people with neurofibromatosis, such as myself, in securing employment so that they can receive the necessary emotional and financial support to make it through life.”
“Making a positive difference in the lives of people who suffer from neurofibromatosis would be the source of my happiness,” you said.