14 DAY TRIAL // Here is a piece of news to brighten up your day and get you in the right frame of mind for the weekend: a Colombian boy whose early childhood years were anything but all fun and games is now finally getting on with his life.
The boy, a photo of which is available above, was born with a rare medical condition known to the scientific community as congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN, for short), which causes birthmarks to grow to abnormal sizes.
This disorder caused a mole on Didier Motavo's body to develop up to the point when it covered his back almost entirely. As noticeable in the image provided, the mole grew to such an extent that it ended up covering 40% of the boy's body.
What's more, the mole's appearance was similar to the shells turtles carry on their back. Hence, while still at a very early age, Didier Moltavo earned the nickname “Turtle Boy,” Huffington Post informs.
In 2012, the boy underwent surgery, and doctors managed to remove the oversized mole growing on his back. The surgical team was led by Dr. Neil Bulstrode, a plastic surgeon who traveled from the United Kingdom to Colombia to operate on Didier.
Presently, the 8-year-old boy leads a fairly normal life. In a recent interview with the press, his mother, Luz, explains that, following the surgical intervention, her son found it way easier to be around and interact with other people.
“He felt very bad before the surgery, it impeded him from doing a lot of the activities he enjoyed doing. When he heard people calling him ‘Turtle boy’ he felt very sad and he would ask ‘Why do I have this?’”
“It was a very difficult question to answer. We always had hope that something would be done,” Didier Motavo's mother confesses during an appearance on ITV's This Morning this July 11, as cited by Daily Mail.
With the help of folks at Caring Matters Now, an organization dedicated to helping people diagnosed with CMN move forward with their lives, the boy and his mother even managed to fly to the United Kingdom. Here, the boy met other children suffering from the same condition.
According to media reports, there are signs that the mole is beginning to once again grow on the boy's back. However, researchers say that, since Didier was operated on until present day, significant progress has been made in understanding the underlying causes of this illness.
Hence, it is believed that, soon enough, treatment options other than surgical interventions will become available for this 8-year-old boy and other individuals diagnosed with CMN.