Doctors in Florida to remove 10-pound tumor from boy's face

Doctors in Florida are planning to remove a 10-pound tumour from a Cuban teen’s face.

The Miami Herald reports that 14-year-old Emanuel Zayas and his parents recently traveled to Miami on a medical visa. Dr. Robert Marx, chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery for the University of Miami Health System, and a team of surgeons will operate on Jan. 12 at Jackson’s Holtz Children’s Hospital.

Marx says Emanuel was born with a rare disorder called polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, which causes his body to develop scarlike tissue instead of bone. The disorder often causes fractures and deformities of the arms, legs and skull.

Emanuel’s father, Noel Zayas, says the tumour started as a pimple when the boy hit puberty and grew quickly over a few months. The tumour is benign but threatens to fracture the boy’s neck and suffocate him.