Man suffering from SIX-STONE tumour hanging from his face like a ‘trunk’ struggles to eat and lives in constant agony
AN INDONESIAN man is living in constant pain because of an enormous tumour that has grown from his face to his stomach.
Andriadi Putra, 34, is hoping to receive life-changing surgery as he has troubles eating and talking because of the ‘trunk’ like tumour which weighs a whopping six stone.
It has sprouted into multiple layers and Putra often covers the biggest part under a roomy t-shirt.
Putra, lives with his ageing parents in Medan, North Sumatra, and suffers from a severe case of Neurofibromatosis – a genetic disorder that affects the normal growth and development of cell tissue.
He faces shortness of breath and cannot walk due to the staggering weight of the tumour.
Putra said: “I often groan in pain…the weight breaks my back. It is very heavy and I experience shortness of breath.”
Putra was born with a small blemish on his face but it kept growing with age.
What is Neurofibromatosis?
Neurofibromatoses are genetic disorders of the nervous system. Mainly, these disorders affect the growth and development of nerve cell tissue.
NF1
- NF1 is characterised by multiple patches of tan or light brown skin and soft, fleshy growths on or under the skin
- Enlargement and deformation of bones and curvature of the spine may also occur
- Occasionally, tumors may develop in the brain, on cranial nerves, or on the spinal cord
- About 50% to 75% of people with NF1 also have learning disabilities
NF2
- NF2 is much less common than NF1 and is characterised by multiple tumors on the cranial and spinal nerves
- Tumors that cause hearing loss beginning in the teens or early twenties is generally the first symptom of NF2
TREATMENT
There is no cure for neurofibromatosis but symptoms can be controlled
His parents – father Ismed Triad, 60 and mother Eridah, 52, took him to a local doctors when they noticed the blemish but were told there is nothing to worry.
Mr Triad, who is a porter at a traditional market, couldn’t afford to take his son for advance medical examination.
Putra said: “I was born with a small blemish but my family assumed that it was a birthmark. But when I was 11 years old, my parents began to suspect it as it was growing bigger.
“They took me to see a doctor who said I have a the disease called “Narrowing of Hormone Vessels” and it is unfortunate.
“By my parents couldn’t do much and only surrendered because we had only enough money to fulfil our daily needs. We couldn’t continue the treatment because we don’t have enough money.
To supplement his family’s earrings, Putra worked at a motorcycle showroom for couple of years but was forced to quit two years ago when the weight was unbearable.
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He is hoping for a life-saving surgery that could remove the tumour and help him live a normal life.
“I’m in agony. My head and back hurts.
“I cannot work anymore. For the last two years, I am at home. It is getting worse. I want to a treatment that could help me live a normal life.”