Boy with a pig face

Ms. Nguyen Thi Que, a poor woman in Duc Trung hamlet, Binh Ba commune, Chau Duc district of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province has brought up two children alone for several years, since her husband went away without a word.

Que has lived in misfortune since her second son, Bui Nhat Minh Tien, 7, has been ill all the time. When he was 2 years old, small pimples began appearing on the boy’s helixes, head and nose. The pimples kept growing and making the boy to be very painful. They also deformed Tien’s face, with big helixes and a big nose.

Being ill but the boy studies very well. “My heart is very painful whenever I see my son. But I cannot do anything for him,” said the mother, Que.

The woman said it was very hard for her to earn enough to feed her baby. She did not have money to take Tien to hospital for an operation.

Doctors said that the boy suffers from Neurofibromatosis disease. The boy needs surgery and long-term treatment. The expenditure for the operation is around VND30 million ($1,500).

Neurofibromatosis is a genetically-inherited disorder in which the nerve tissue grows tumors (neurofibromas) that may be benign or may cause serious damage by compressing nerves and other tissues. The disorder affects all neural crest. Cellular elements from these cell types proliferate excessively throughout the body, forming tumors; melanocytes also function abnormally in this disease, resulting in disordered skin pigmentation and café au lait spots. The tumors may cause bumps under the skin, colored spots, skeletal problems, pressure on spinal nerve roots, and other neurological problems.