A woman in Germany named Alexandra has developed a huge tumor on the back of her neck, resembling a heavy 9-kilogram “backpack” that reaches down to her buttocks.
The benign tumor accounted for 20% of Alexandra’s body weight and was nearly half her height in length.
The tumor had been growing slowly over the past twenty years, originating back in her school days as a small lump the size of a walnut.
By the time Alexandra turned 15, the tumor had grown to the size of a grapefruit, but she hesitated to seek medical help fearing it was growing directly from her spinal cord, and surgery might paralyze her for life.
So she tried to go on with life as usual, while the tumor continued to grow. Eventually, as it became too large, Alexandra could no longer work, and when she went outside, she wore very loose clothing.
To alleviate the pressure, she tied the tumor up, but even then, walking was difficult as it caused imbalance and frequent falls. Moreover, the tumor was highly sensitive, with even the slightest touch feeling like a “hard blow” to Alexandra.
When the tumor reached 9 kilograms, it began to affect Alexandra’s breathing, prompting her to finally decide on its removal. However, six doctors refused her due to the risks before she contacted surgeon Ryan Osborne from Los Angeles.
Upon examination, he diagnosed her with an advanced form of neurofibromatosis type 1, noting that he had never seen a tumor grow in such a “cape-like” manner with this condition.
He warned Alexandra of the significant blood loss risk, which could be fatal. Nevertheless, she agreed to the surgery.
The six-hour operation successfully removed the entire tumor, leaving only a small scar on Alexandra’s body.
Twelve weeks later, Alexandra returned home to Germany and immediately went shopping – she had long dreamed of wearing beautiful dresses.
“I feel so much joy now. It’s better than I ever imagined. I dreamed a lot about how I would live without the tumor, and it’s much better than in my dreams. I’m so happy that I now have a normal neck!” says Alexandra.
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