After 14 hours of surgery, a 15-year-old girl is finally free from the Schwannoma tumor that had consumed the lower half of her face. Lai Thi Dao was affected by an extremely rare type of tumor and she was in danger of suffocating.

Surgeons at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center removed the tumor and restored her ability to eat and speak. The tumor has been growing since she was three, as the medical report showed. It started out as little more than a cyst on her tongue but the girl had little access to medical care and treatment where she lived, so the cyst grew and developed into a 16-pound tumor. As it grew, normal tasks such as talking, eating, drinking and sleeping became increasingly difficult.

Neurilemoma is a bening tumor that can arise from any nerve in the body although it is usually common to certain nerves located in the head and neck. It is made up of Schwann cells that grow abnormally.    

The surgery’s procedure consists in separating the membrane than covers the nerve from the nerve, without any disturbance to the nerve’s function.

Doctors said the size of Lai's tumor was extremely rare, but it probably won't return once it's removed. The girl is recovering in the pediatric intensive care unit of Jackson’s Holtz Children’s Hospital.

“We’re happy to report that yesterday’s surgery to remove the extremely large tumour from Lai’s face was successful as we were able to remove the entire tumour,” Dr Jesus Gomez and Dr Robert Marx, oral and maxillofacial surgeons of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Centre, said in a press statement.

“Lai responded very well to surgery and the outcome is better than expected. We are very optimistic and look forward to sharing more news on her progress as she recovers.”