'The Boy with a Horn' Ostracized in Madagascar Finds a New Life in Korea

Lived with a 15cm, 810g Tumor for 10 Years
Successfully Removed After an 8-Hour Major Surgery

Professor Choi Jong-woo, a plastic surgeon at Seoul Asan Medical Center who performed the surgery, is giving words of encouragement to Flange (left), who successfully received treatment for a tumor the size of her face after coming to Korea, ahead of his return home.
[Photo by Seoul Asan Medical Center]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A young man from Madagascar, who had difficulty living daily due to a giant tumor over 15 cm in size inside his mouth?about the size of his face?and was even ostracized in his neighborhood as the "child with a disgusting lump," found a new life after coming to Korea.

Professor Choi Jong-woo's team from the Department of Plastic Surgery at Seoul Asan Medical Center announced on the 3rd that they successfully removed the giant cell granuloma of Mr. Flangie (22), who had neglected a tumor the size of his face inside his mouth due to the poor medical environment in the remote areas of Madagascar, and performed mandibular reconstruction and soft tissue plastic surgery around the lips. Mr. Flangie, who regained his smile, is scheduled to return home on the 5th.

When Flangie was 8 years old, he experienced pain near his molars and, with his mother's help, had a tooth extracted. Due to improper extraction, inflammation began near the molars, but without access to proper medical facilities nearby, he left it untreated for over 10 years.

The small inflammation progressed into a giant cell granuloma and gradually grew larger. Giant cell granuloma is a rare disease known to occur in about one in a million people. In Flangie's case, the tumor grew so large that it protruded outside his mouth due to the lack of proper treatment over a long period. Eating and even speaking gradually became difficult, and touching or accidentally bumping the tumor often caused bleeding, making daily life increasingly challenging.

Hope sprouted when Dr. Lee Jae-hoon, who was volunteering in Madagascar, happened to see Flangie last year. Dr. Lee searched for a medical institution in Korea capable of performing the surgery, and Seoul Asan Medical Center readily agreed. Dr. Lee is a recipient of the Asan Award for Medical Volunteerism selected by the Asan Foundation in 2018 and has a connection with Seoul Asan Medical Center.

After a 20-hour flight to Korea, Flangie underwent a major surgery lasting over 8 hours on September 16th by Professor Choi’s team. They removed the giant cell granuloma measuring 15 cm and weighing 810 g, reconstructed the lower jaw?which had lost its function due to the tumor?using the fibula bone, and corrected the mouth and lips, which had been stretched by the tumor, to their normal size. Flangie endured the long surgery safely.

Flangie said, “I am grateful to the medical staff at Seoul Asan Medical Center who made my face, which I had given up on because it couldn’t be treated in Madagascar, look normal and treated me warmly like family. I had only felt despair, thinking I would have to live with the lump forever, but hearing that surgery was possible gave me my first dream. I want to become a missionary and bring hope to people facing difficulties similar to mine.”

Professor Choi said, "Flangie was in a severe state of malnutrition, so we were worried whether he could endure general anesthesia, and the tumor was larger than expected, which caused concern. I am relieved to see him recover well and be discharged in good health. I hope he overcomes the psychological shrinkage caused by facial deformity and leads a life full of confidence and smiles."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.