(May 15, 2014, Fox News) — A young Haitian girl recently underwent surgery to remove a massive 4-pound tumor from her face.
According to Fox News, 15-year-old Hennglise Dorival was first operated on in 2011 when a man traveling to Haiti to offer earthquake aid met her at a small Baptist school and arranged for the procedure.
That man, Larry O’Reilly, returned in 2012 only to notice that the mass had regrown and was getting even larger.
Hennglise is diagnosed with ameloblastoma, a rare, noncancerous tumor that often develops in the jaw near the molars, according to Fox.
Through the international health organization Project H.O.P.E, O’Reilly was able to meet the man who would finally help completely remove Hennglise’s tumor.
She and her mother were flown to the United States, and on April 28 of this year Dr. William Magee from Operation Smile and his staff operated on her for 12 hours.
They completely removed the tumor and reconstructed her face.
“I came into the waiting room afterward, and her mom almost tackled me,” Magee told Fox News. “She’s kind of stone faced and doesn’t express her emotions much, but after she saw a picture of her daughter, she almost knocked me over.”
For more information on Operation Smile and to donate, click here.
