Bergville boy receives life-changing surgery to remove tumours
A KwaZulu-Natal boy who has lived with a disfigured face caused by painful large tumours is recovering from his first life-changing surgery, as he waits for the next operation.
Ten-year-old Alondwe Ngwenya from Bergville was born with Neurofibromatosis - a genetic condition that causes benign growths in the body.
Although not life-threatening, Alondwe's tumours continued to grow on the left side of his face and his foot, affecting his daily life.
Last year, the boy's mother, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, reached out for help through the media.
Word got to Anil Madaree, a professor of plastic surgery practising at the Chief Albert Luthuli Hospital and Netcare uMhlanga Hospital.
" The tumour on his face was very disfiguring. He was nine years old and in school. He has a normal brain and normal intellect, but because of this tumour, he felt psychologically like there was something wrong with him," says Dr Madaree.
In June, Dr Madaree led a team of specialists who performed a four-hour-long procedure pro bono.
" His ear was hanging down on his neck, so we had to elevate his ear and bring it up. We had to remove a lot of the tumour, the skin, and remodel the skin back to a bit more of a normal sort of configuration."
He says their work is not quite over.
Alondwe will go under the knife again next year, with the help of the Netcare Foundation.
" You can have a child who's got a completely normal brain, who's being ostracized by society because of some deformity in his face.
"If you can try and correct that to a certain extent, make that child get back to where he should be in life. Rather than being positioned where he feels like he's not wanted or he is not as good as other kids, he can take his rightful place in society.”
Alondwe's mum, Ntombifuthi, says he’s already doing better.
She says her son is passionate about soccer, loves the Kaizer Chiefs, and dreams of becoming a lawyer one day.
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