Doctors in South Florida removed a massive tumor from a Haitian girl’s face.
**Warning: Some of the images in the video above may be difficult to watch**
Imagine never being able to close your mouth because a massive tumor is growing from your head down to the side of your mouth.
It's a condition that was slowly killing a young Haitian girl, until doctors from Baptist Health in Kendall stepped in to do a daring and dangerous surgery, thanks to Guardian Angel.
Neissa Azor had a huge tumor growing in her face that doctors surgically removed.
Neissa and her mother, Fernande Romulus, are living in Haiti and thought Neissa would have to live with the tumor for the rest of her life, until a chance meeting with an angel.
"I walked passed them, smiled and tried not to stare and God said, 'Turn around, go back and get their story,'" Elaine Lewis with Guardian Angel said. "I went back to her and asked if they were there for Medicaid and they said they didn't have money for that."
From February to June, Lewis searched for a hospital in the United States that would remove the fibrous dysplasia tumor. The tumor left Neissa barely able to eat, breathe and would've eventually destroyed her face and her health.
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Back in California, Lewis got a glimmer of hope. She was told to email Baptist Health Board Chairman Calvin Babcock.
"I wrote him an email. He said, 'Send me everything on Neissa, medical reports, pictures, her story, CT scans,' and I sent it and within two weeks he had her here as a patient," Lewis said.
Through Baptist Health's Compassionate Care Program, doctors led by Dr. Joseph McCain donated their time for her surgery and medical care.
"We are elated to be able to have the opportunity to take care of her and the way she has performed throughout her surgical recovery. We have more to do but this is a big first step for her," Dr. McCain said.
The next steps for Neissa are prosthetic jaws and new teeth.
A charity called "Living Hope Haiti" continues to pay for her travel and lodging for trips from Haiti back to Baptist Health, where her medical care has also been completely donated.
