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.