A little girl who was nearly suffocated by a birthmark is now beaming after surgeons rebuilt her disfigured nose.
Despite being born prematurely at 27-weeks, Zoe Mitchell was a healthy baby and progressed well while in hospital.
But within days, a small red mark across the bridge of her nose - thought to be as a result of an oxygen mask being too tight - developed into a huge, purple, blister which started to suffocate her.
Doctors diagnosed a haemangioma, a birthmark caused by a benign tumour of the blood vessels in the skin.
It can grow rapidly and in severe cases, such as Zoe’s, it can block the airways.
In a race against time, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London had to fit a tracheostomy tube when Zoe was just eight-weeks-old to stop her suffocating.
Since then, she has been on a long journey and now, at the age of nine, is all smiles again after surgeons reconstructed her nose using cartilage from her ear.
Her mother, Caroline, 36, from Welling in Kent, said: ‘Zoe is so happy with it now. She is delighted with her new nose. It looks lovely. It is amazing.’
Zoe’s birthmark attracted cruel comments and stares until she had her first operation to remove the majority of it when she was four.
Mrs Mitchell, a legal secretary, said: ‘We went ahead with the operation because we wanted her to look a bit “normal”. Going out every day and having people staring at you is not nice so we did it for her appearance.
‘We have always been open with her about it. We told her that is her birthmark, her special nose. She got more aware of people staring as she has got older.’
Zoe also risked losing her eyesight as the tumour had got bigger and bigger and eventually took over her whole nose when she was just seven-weeks-old.
Doctors put her on steroids in an attempt to shrink the growth but when that didn’t work Zoe, she started a 12-month course of chemotherapy in a bid to zap the tumour.
Recalling the ordeal, her mother said: ‘It was getting bigger and bigger and growing over the bridge of her nose, obscuring her eyes so rather than having round, football shaped eyes they were becoming shaped like a rugby ball from where the tumour was damaging them.
‘When they first said it was a birthmark I just thought it would be a little red mark. I’d never heard of them being raised tumours and had no idea they can do so much damage.
‘It was very daunting and stressful. It was constant hospital appointments in the first year so it was quite intense.’
It was only once the tumour had shrunk enough that Zoe was able to breathe unaided and the tracheostomy tube was removed after 18-months.
But her nose was left disfigured and so Mrs Mitchell and her husband Dean, 36, consulted plastic surgeons at Great Ormond Street, who were able to re-build her nose.
Mrs Mitchell, who also has a 12-year-old son, continued: ‘The damage it could have caused if it was not spotted straight away could have been fatal - it could have suffocated her.
‘We were really lucky that she was born so prematurely in a way as we were already in the hospital when it was spotted so we were referred straight away.
‘The last operation was quite painful for her. She has got on so well.
‘She might have to have more surgery later on but not until she is about 16.’
Zoe said: ‘People used to upset me when they stared at me and called me names. Now I am delighted that I had my operation.
‘I think my new nose looks lovely now. I think my surgeon is very clever. I am very happy now.’
David Dunaway, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon and head of the craniofacial unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: ‘Zoe has been a patient for many years.
‘Shortly after birth, she developed a large haemangioma on her nose which caused destruction of part of the nose and ulceration of the skin.
‘Zoe has had extensive treatment for her haemangioma and operations to reconstruct her nose. She has bravely coped with the condition and the treatment needed to reconstruct her nose.
‘Zoe is due to have more surgery in the future.’
Despite being born prematurely at 27-weeks, Zoe Mitchell was a healthy baby and progressed well while in hospital.
But within days, a small red mark across the bridge of her nose - thought to be as a result of an oxygen mask being too tight - developed into a huge, purple, blister which started to suffocate her.
Doctors diagnosed a haemangioma, a birthmark caused by a benign tumour of the blood vessels in the skin.
It can grow rapidly and in severe cases, such as Zoe’s, it can block the airways.
In a race against time, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London had to fit a tracheostomy tube when Zoe was just eight-weeks-old to stop her suffocating.
Since then, she has been on a long journey and now, at the age of nine, is all smiles again after surgeons reconstructed her nose using cartilage from her ear.
Her mother, Caroline, 36, from Welling in Kent, said: ‘Zoe is so happy with it now. She is delighted with her new nose. It looks lovely. It is amazing.’
Zoe’s birthmark attracted cruel comments and stares until she had her first operation to remove the majority of it when she was four.
Mrs Mitchell, a legal secretary, said: ‘We went ahead with the operation because we wanted her to look a bit “normal”. Going out every day and having people staring at you is not nice so we did it for her appearance.
‘We have always been open with her about it. We told her that is her birthmark, her special nose. She got more aware of people staring as she has got older.’
Zoe also risked losing her eyesight as the tumour had got bigger and bigger and eventually took over her whole nose when she was just seven-weeks-old.
Doctors put her on steroids in an attempt to shrink the growth but when that didn’t work Zoe, she started a 12-month course of chemotherapy in a bid to zap the tumour.
Recalling the ordeal, her mother said: ‘It was getting bigger and bigger and growing over the bridge of her nose, obscuring her eyes so rather than having round, football shaped eyes they were becoming shaped like a rugby ball from where the tumour was damaging them.
‘When they first said it was a birthmark I just thought it would be a little red mark. I’d never heard of them being raised tumours and had no idea they can do so much damage.
‘It was very daunting and stressful. It was constant hospital appointments in the first year so it was quite intense.’
It was only once the tumour had shrunk enough that Zoe was able to breathe unaided and the tracheostomy tube was removed after 18-months.
But her nose was left disfigured and so Mrs Mitchell and her husband Dean, 36, consulted plastic surgeons at Great Ormond Street, who were able to re-build her nose.
Mrs Mitchell, who also has a 12-year-old son, continued: ‘The damage it could have caused if it was not spotted straight away could have been fatal - it could have suffocated her.
‘We were really lucky that she was born so prematurely in a way as we were already in the hospital when it was spotted so we were referred straight away.
‘The last operation was quite painful for her. She has got on so well.
‘She might have to have more surgery later on but not until she is about 16.’
Zoe said: ‘People used to upset me when they stared at me and called me names. Now I am delighted that I had my operation.
‘I think my new nose looks lovely now. I think my surgeon is very clever. I am very happy now.’
David Dunaway, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon and head of the craniofacial unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: ‘Zoe has been a patient for many years.
‘Shortly after birth, she developed a large haemangioma on her nose which caused destruction of part of the nose and ulceration of the skin.
‘Zoe has had extensive treatment for her haemangioma and operations to reconstruct her nose. She has bravely coped with the condition and the treatment needed to reconstruct her nose.
‘Zoe is due to have more surgery in the future.’
Source : DailyMail , Birthmarksupportgroup
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