Luc Thi Hai at present

VietNamNet Bridge – Luc Thi Hai has recovered from the operation to cut the 7kg tumour off her face 13 days ago, said doctor Nguyen Quoc Bao from the Hanoi-based Central Tumour Hospital.

The girl can walk and eat by herself. She currently has only half a face and doctors will perform another operation in the next 3-6 months to re-create her face.

Previously, doctors took six hours to cut the 7kg tumour off of Hai’s face. After the girl fully recovers, doctors will consider performing surgery on other sisters of Hai, who also have huge facial tumours.

Hai is one of the five children in a family of San Diu ethnic group in the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen who have huge facial tumours.

That’s the family of Mr Luc Van Quan (47) and Mrs Truong Thi Nam (51) in Da Bac hamlet, Ban Dat commune, Phu Binh district.

The couple has six children, two boys and four girls. The eldest was born in 1978 and the youngest was born in 1996.

When the children were born, they were normal like other children. But at the age of 7-8, tumours appeared on their faces and they developed over time, seriously deforming their faces.

Of the six children, only one boy is still normal. The couple has to nurture the five children in a separate house.

Since 1992, the couple has taken their children to various hospitals in Thai Nguyen and in Hanoi but doctors haven’t been able to determine the disease or the reasons.

Those children are now using antibiotics to restrict the development of those tumours.

Le Ha