Kambou Sie traveled from his hometown of Bondoukou in the Ivory Coast to Italy for surgery.
Kambou Sie, 18, from the Ivory Coast, had a very hard life. A tremendous gigantic facial tumor caused his mother to reject him and abandon him. Now he has undergone surgery and the change in him was sensational.
Burkitt’s lymphoma disfigured his face. According to the British cancer organization Macmillan, this malformation is generated in the lymphatic system and develops when the body produces abnormal white blood cells.
Its most extreme manifestation is the formation of tumors in areas such as the abdomen or face, which is accompanied by pain, swelling, nausea and diarrhea. Added to this is that the endemic species is found in Africa, so its population is more exposed to contracting it.
The raw image before surgery of the young man who is now 18 years old.
Here because, Kambou Sie traveled from his hometown, Bondoukou, to the Ivory Coast, Italy to undergo a treatment that would change his life and allow him to deal with the tumor that hit his entire face.
Stunning before and after photos show the 18-year-old’s transformation after surgeons rebuilt his face. The young man, known as Prosper, was 10 years old when the aggressive mass began to appear on his cheek.
He was not treated and, over the years, he began to completely swell the features of his face, damaging his eyesight and his entire face. Growing up, he was often ignored or shunned by the community because of him no one understood his condition and thought it was contagious.
The operation was a success, but they will have to perform more operations.
The only person who supported him was his father, as he had even been rejected by his own mother. Upon arrival at Pascale hospital in Naples, Italy, tests revealed that the tumor was a rare form of cancer called Burkitt’s lymphoma, which attacks the immune system.
He underwent six months of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell replacement to shrink the tumor. Prosper said, “When I got here, I was often afraid. I think fear was the only thing I felt. My nose blocked my view. I had to cover my nose to see.”
“Three days after starting chemotherapy I realized that I no longer need to cover my nose to see. I am very happy because when I go out I don’t cry. I am happy to meet people. I go out, have fun, play. I have no problems. I’m very happy”.
The current face of Kabou, much recovered.
Now that the cancer has been eradicated, the surgeons have reconstructed her face.
Although this treatment greatly reduces the size of the tumor, Kambou Sie had to undergo three face surgeries to repair the bone damage that the mass had caused to her face.
The specialist, Dr. Franc Ionna, explained that the results in about a year were surprising, but in the young there are still structures to improve.
“There is a defect in the development of the facial bones. You have a facial bone disorder. Also, there is an asymmetry the left side is different from the right one. One part has too many bones, the other is a deficit. “
An aggressive tumor had covered his entire face.
To this he added: “It will take several surgeries, as the cancer has affected the bone structure of Prosper’s skull. The right side of the child’s face has an underdeveloped cheekbone and an eye socket, which will need to be reconstructed. “
For his part, the young man told The Sun that he feels like a “new man” after all the treatments, even though he knows there are still steps to reach a definitive face and return to his country.
“My face has changed. It’s not over, but it has changed. I have also improved, I am no longer the same, “she said.
After that, he explained that he wants to return to his native Bondoukou to start a new life, including returning to school and having a girlfriend.
Source: Clarin
