Nagalem's Story
Soon after Nagalem was born, a mass began growing on her face. She had a vascular malformation, where blood vessels snarl like overgrown vines. It became so large that doctors worried it could suffocate Nagalem or that swallowing would become impossible. If Nagalem fell and cut it while playing, she could hemorrhage. Living in a village in Ethiopia meant she struggled to access specialized medical care to have it removed.
But in June 2021, Dr. Waner and Dr. O gave Nagalem and her family hope for her future by successfully removing the vascular malformation during a challenging 12-hour surgery.
Press
Today Show - 'Surgical triumph': Doctors remove large mass from 5-year-old's face
ABC Eyewitness News - 6-year-old girl has life-changing surgery to remove cantaloupe-sized growth from face
New York Post - NYC docs successfully remove 5-year-old Ethiopian girl’s lethal cantaloupe-size tumor
Before Photos


After Photos
"'God bless you. Without you guys it wouldn’t be like this. Thank you so much.”