A man with a huge tumor in his jaw finally underwent life-changing surgery after it became so big he could barely eat or speak.
Alex first noticed swelling in his jaw when he was a teenager. It turned out to be a non-cancerous tumor, but it continued to grow.
By the time she was 23, the benign mass had grown to the size of a tennis ball and was beginning to affect her ability to speak, eat and swallow.
He was warned that it could eventually make breathing impossible, but none of the local hospitals around Freetown, Sierra Leone, were able to help him, nor were any medications or herbal treatments .
He suffered from infections and tooth loss and, perhaps worst of all, social isolation as most people avoided him and he was unable to make friends.
“I had trouble sitting among people because they made fun of me. I used to run away from them and sit alone in my room.
Two years ago, he was told that global health charity Mercy Ships would be docking one of its hospital ships in Freetown – and it became his last hope.
Once the Christian charity assessed his situation, they agreed to help and Alex underwent his first surgery aboard the ‘Global Mercy’, which removed his jaw in October 2023. The second operation was took place in April 2024 to reconstruct the jaw using a bone from his head.
The operation changed Alex’s life and since then he has made new friends and regained his confidence.
“After the operation, I was very happy, especially when people were around me and when they hugged me.”
“People were afraid to be close to me, but now everyone wants to be my friend.”
One of his doctors was Manjit Dhillon, consultant surgeon in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland.
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“In the UK we see benign jaw tumors like Alex’s, but they are most likely caught very early during a routine dental check-up,” Dr Dhillon explained.
“The patient’s tumor would be removed at an early stage, so it would never reach the size we see in Alex’s case.”
His mother, Zainab, greeted him when he came off the ship.
“I cried tears of joy when I saw him for the first time after his operation. He had been so isolated and excluded from society.
“The place was full of people surprised and happy for him. It was amazing to see Alex come to life and become part of his community again.
Dr Manjit said it was “amazing” to be part of his journey and “to see him embrace a hopeful future”.
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