14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, surgeons in the US operated on a boy who had a massive tumor on his neck. By the looks of it, they managed to remove the abnormal tissue growth and give the kid a fighting chance at normal childhood.
The boy, identified as 11-year-old Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano, went into surgery on Monday. According to AP via Daily Mail, the intervention took well over 12 hours to complete and was carried out by as many as 25 medical professionals.
For the time being, the young boy's condition is stable. Still, the doctors looking after him say that, all things considered, it will be a while until he recovers.
More so given the fact that, following this intervention, they will once again have to operate on him and try to reconstruct whatever body parts were left damaged by the tumor. Besides, they will have to remove the excess skin that was left behind.
It was missionaries who helped this boy get help
11-year-old Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano first made headlines about 2 years ago, when First Baptist Church missionaries met him while on a visit to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and offered to help him get back on his feet.
Together with the US Homeland Security and New Mexico's Governor Susana Martinez, the missionaries made it possible for the boy to travel to the US and remain here for treatment. They even raised money for his care.
It is understood that the boy was born with the tumor resting on his neck and his shoulder. In time, the tumor got bigger and even took its toll on his eyesight. Had he remained in Mexico's Ciudad Huarez, the boy would've probably never received treatment.
He is not out of the woods just yet
The intervention during which surgeons removed the massive tumor growing on Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano's neck was carried out at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital. As already mentioned, the boy is still closely monitored.
When released from hospital, he will go and live with Kristean Alcocer, a missionary with the First Baptist Church of New Mexico, for a while. The 11-year-old's parents, who are still in Ciudad Juarez, are expected to soon come and visit him.
By the looks of it, Kristean Alcocer is ready and willing to look after the boy until surgeons are done reconstructing his shoulder and removing the excess skin on his body. It is unclear whether the 11-year-old will be allowed to remain in the US, or if he will be sent back to Mexico after he recovers.
