"Behind the Face: The Extraordinary Tale of a 14-Year-Old's Battle Against a 10-Pound Tumor"

A 14-year-old boy in Miami passed away on Friday after undergoing surgery to remove a 10-pound tumor from his face, which had started to suffocate him. Doctors revealed that he suffered from a condition affecting tissue production since birth, but its impact only manifested in his later years.Emanuel Zayas, once an ordinary child enjoying carefree days in Cuba, playing happily with his parents and neighborhood friends, was thrust into a challenging journey when doctors diagnosed him with a rare condition affecting tissue production in specific areas. From that day forward, he embarked on a difficult path that ultimately led to his demise.

As reported by the Miami Herald, Emanuel underwent surgery two weeks ago to eliminate a basketball-sized tumor covering a significant portion of his frontal face. Doctors confirmed that, although benign, the tumor was becoming a threat to his life and neck.Emanuel’s case of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia remained non-threatening until adolescence. Everything seemed fine post-surgery, with both parents and doctors optimistic that the boy just needed time to rest and recover. Even the muscles in his face were strengthening. However, complications arising from the procedure led to kidney and lung failure, resulting in his death at the Holtz Children’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial. He was only 14 years old.

“After visiting Emanuel last night and observing a glimmer of hope from pupillary reflexes and facial muscle tone, I was informed this morning that he took a serious turn for the worse,” said Robert E. Marx, the lead surgeon on the case, in announcing Emanuel’s death. “His condition has deteriorated with kidney and lung failure that the best of [the intensive care unit] cannot keep pace.”

**A Simple Pimple:**

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary before Emanuel’s fourth birthday. His parents began noticing something unusual in his left arm and leg. Upon taking Emanuel to the doctors, they were informed that he was born with a disorder called polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.

This rare condition replaces portions of bones with fibrous tissues in the human body, as explained by the Mayo Clinic. It never posed a danger to Emanuel until he grew up and turned 11 years old.

Glancing at his face in the mirror, Emanuel noticed what he initially thought was a simple pimple on one side of his nose. However, unlike an ordinary pimple, this mass started growing rapidly and continued to do so without any interruption for the following three consecutive years, practically reaching the size of his entire head and covering almost his entire face.What began as a seemingly harmless “pimple” concluded with a 10-pound tumor, leading to the untimely death of the 14-year-old boy.

The Jackson Health Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to raising funds for cases like Emanuel’s, stated that the tumor had taken over his face and severely affected the bone structure of his upper jaw and nose.

In Cuba, the family presented the boy to several doctors who refused to take the case, deeming it too complex and fearing potential complications during surgery. This led the parents to believe that death was the only option left for Emanuel.

As mentioned earlier, it didn’t matter that the tumor was benign; it was developing so rapidly that the doctor already estimated it could break his neck. Although it didn’t, it crushed Emanuel’s windpipe.

Help from the US:

A team of missionaries witnessed Emanuel’s condition in Cuba and sought help from Dr. Robert E. Marx, chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery for the University of Miami Health System. Marx, having already heard about Emanuel’s case at a medical conference, donated his time and successfully performed the surgery.

Unfortunately, the joy stemming from the successful surgery lasted only two weeks.

“Dr. Marx won’t start waking him up tomorrow as we’d hoped,” wrote Jaynie Estrada, a missionary leading the fundraising effort, on January 18. “Looks like he needs more days to recover more. … Please continue to pray for him.”