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Manbodh, a 30-year-old man from Odisha, had been burdened with a face tumour for the past 17 years. He was not able to avail treatment for a long time due to financial constraints, as a result of his impoverished background.
He was diagnosed with a rare disease called plexiform neurofibroma wherein non-cancerous tumours grow on nerves throughout the body. He underwent a debulking surgery for his tumour back in 2010, but the tumour grew back and was supposed to be amputated on November 12, 2018, again. During the surgery, he bled profusely and subsequently, the procedure had to be stalled. Reports suggest that the recurrence maybe due to missing a very small tumour in the excision or transaction of the involved nerve during surgery, producing an amputation tumour.
"The pain that I suffer from is unbearable. The tumour hinders my existence and it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to eat, drink or even talk. I am also completely blind in one eye. I am embarrassed to step out of his house since inconsiderate people make fun of my appearance with the bulky mass drooping from the right side of my face." - Manbodh
Early treatment proved ineffective for this young man
Manbodh initially underwent treatment at a local hospital in Cuttack, which was rendered ineffective. He added that his mother is the one who works and provides for him, which is seldom enough for them to fill their stomachs. They cannot even think about receiving an effective treatment for his problem with the meagre income they survive on."I don't have any work. I don't get work because of my appearance, and my situation narrows down the number of things I can do. I'm living an unemployed life. I'm looking for any sort of employment which will fetch me some money so that I can eat something and look after my mom. I want to get better. How will my mother support my surgery, she is not able to earn enough for herself, how can she help me? We can’t even afford to eat, what can we do?" - Manbodh
"It pains me to see my son in this condition. It was not there when he was born. It only happened when he grew up. I surely committed some heinous sins in my past life, that my son is now suffering because of them. Please, I beg of you to help my Manbodh. I am will be ever grateful to those who help save my son. If he is no longer with me, my life will have no meaning. There would be nothing left for me to live." - Manbodh's mother
He has fought well so far, he needs your help to cross the finish line
In the last two years, Manbodh was able to undergo a total of 16 surgeries to combat his facial tumour. This included debridement, facial reconstruction surgeries, eye treatment, etc. But the path to recovery is still long.Manbodh is now having trouble eating food due to the loss of the entire right upper and lower jaw, and severe hollowing of the right half of the face, with loss of the right eye and right orbital socket along with the loss of the jaw. Further management of the above issues needs to be addressed in a very systematic way, using surgical reconstruction, prosthetic eyeball reconstruction as well as dental implants for mastication. Thus, he is in need of more funds to completely recover.
With your support, he can finally be free of his painful condition, and live a new life
