For three years, Janet Sylva was unable to eat, talk, or smile.
The 12-year-old girl from Gambia had a tumor the size of a grapefruit growing on her jaw that left her unable to even close her mouth.
But now Janet is beaming after a groundbreaking U.S surgery removed the six-pound tumor - one of the largest New York doctors had ever seen.
The mass had made her breathing so difficult that they were afraid she might die within a year if nothing was done.
At a press conference on Thursday, surgeons revealed that recovery since the operation has gone smoothly and that Janet can finally return home.
Janet was born in The Gambia and was a relatively healthy child. Her mother, Philomena, said Janet didn't start complaining of mouth pain until she was nine years old. Doctors soon discovered a tumor growing on her lower jaw.
According to Dr. David Hoffman, head of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, the tumor could have been treated when she was younger and first diagnosed.
However, the benign tumor was left untreated to the point that it became impossible to correct in her home country.
In three years, Janet's tumor has tripled the size of her mandible, or lower jaw, and had deformed her face - reaching the size of a grapefruit.
She often walked with her face wrapped in a scarf and was reluctant to go to school or engage with friends.
Dr. Hoffman was contacted through the nonprofit group Healing the Children, after they'd been notified of her condition from one of her local doctors in The Gambia.
The surgeon then contacted Elissa Montanti, the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund - a charity that helps children who have been injured due to war, natural disaster or illness - in September and asked for help.
Montanti arranged for transportation, housing and a visa for Janet and set her up in a home on Staten Island.
Back in January, she told Daily Mail that it took months for doctors to figure how to treat Jannet.
Dr. Armen Kasabian, chief of plastic surgery at North Shore University Hospital, led the team in performing the delicate operation.
Doctors not only had to remove the tumor but also rebuild her jaw using part of a bone from her leg.
Dr. Kasabian said the team knew they had to get it right the first time because Janet and her mother would only be in the U.S for a short time
He said: 'We don't have the luxury of operating on her 10 times.
'We have to try and get the most that we can out of just one operation.'
Doctors practiced on 3D models created from Janet's CAT scans in addition to a great amount of virtual surgery practiced on a computer.
Surgeons had to become before familiar with how to take the fibula, or calf bone, which is normally straight and reconstruct it into a curved jaw bone.
Finally, on January 16, Janet underwent an approximately 12-hour operation surrounded by Dr. Hoffman's team of head and neck, pediatric, and plastic surgeons, as well as an interventional radiologist.
After recovering in the ICU, Janet underwent extensive therapy to learn and how to talk and eat again.
Janet and her mother are preparing to return to Gambia next week, said Montanti
Before heading home, the pair returned Thursday to Cohen Children's. Through an interpreter, speaking their native language of Wolof, the mother and daughter thanked the medical staff.
'I'm very happy and grateful because I have my daughter back,' Philomena said.
And Janet is now smiling more than ever, and said the scarf she had worn to hide her face has been thrown away.
The 12-year-old girl from Gambia had a tumor the size of a grapefruit growing on her jaw that left her unable to even close her mouth.
But now Janet is beaming after a groundbreaking U.S surgery removed the six-pound tumor - one of the largest New York doctors had ever seen.
The mass had made her breathing so difficult that they were afraid she might die within a year if nothing was done.
At a press conference on Thursday, surgeons revealed that recovery since the operation has gone smoothly and that Janet can finally return home.
Janet was born in The Gambia and was a relatively healthy child. Her mother, Philomena, said Janet didn't start complaining of mouth pain until she was nine years old. Doctors soon discovered a tumor growing on her lower jaw.
According to Dr. David Hoffman, head of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, the tumor could have been treated when she was younger and first diagnosed.
However, the benign tumor was left untreated to the point that it became impossible to correct in her home country.
In three years, Janet's tumor has tripled the size of her mandible, or lower jaw, and had deformed her face - reaching the size of a grapefruit.
She often walked with her face wrapped in a scarf and was reluctant to go to school or engage with friends.
Dr. Hoffman was contacted through the nonprofit group Healing the Children, after they'd been notified of her condition from one of her local doctors in The Gambia.
The surgeon then contacted Elissa Montanti, the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund - a charity that helps children who have been injured due to war, natural disaster or illness - in September and asked for help.
Montanti arranged for transportation, housing and a visa for Janet and set her up in a home on Staten Island.
Back in January, she told Daily Mail that it took months for doctors to figure how to treat Jannet.
'Originally, Janet was going to be treated at Staten Island University Hospital, but it wasn't until Dr Hoffman first saw her in person that he realized the extent of her condition,' she said.
'Between September and November, the tumor had grown. And it continued to grow right up until the day of surgery.'
The medical reason behind Janet's tumor is unknown. Montanti suspects it may have something to do with water as accessible, clean drinking water is hard to come by in Janet's home country.
'Between September and November, the tumor had grown. And it continued to grow right up until the day of surgery.'
The medical reason behind Janet's tumor is unknown. Montanti suspects it may have something to do with water as accessible, clean drinking water is hard to come by in Janet's home country.
Dr. Armen Kasabian, chief of plastic surgery at North Shore University Hospital, led the team in performing the delicate operation.
Doctors not only had to remove the tumor but also rebuild her jaw using part of a bone from her leg.
Dr. Kasabian said the team knew they had to get it right the first time because Janet and her mother would only be in the U.S for a short time
He said: 'We don't have the luxury of operating on her 10 times.
'We have to try and get the most that we can out of just one operation.'
Doctors practiced on 3D models created from Janet's CAT scans in addition to a great amount of virtual surgery practiced on a computer.
Surgeons had to become before familiar with how to take the fibula, or calf bone, which is normally straight and reconstruct it into a curved jaw bone.
Finally, on January 16, Janet underwent an approximately 12-hour operation surrounded by Dr. Hoffman's team of head and neck, pediatric, and plastic surgeons, as well as an interventional radiologist.
After recovering in the ICU, Janet underwent extensive therapy to learn and how to talk and eat again.
Janet and her mother are preparing to return to Gambia next week, said Montanti
Before heading home, the pair returned Thursday to Cohen Children's. Through an interpreter, speaking their native language of Wolof, the mother and daughter thanked the medical staff.
'I'm very happy and grateful because I have my daughter back,' Philomena said.
And Janet is now smiling more than ever, and said the scarf she had worn to hide her face has been thrown away.
Music: "Universal" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Ny1 , Daily Mail, The Sun
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