Doctors have successfully removed a football-sized tumor from a Mexican boy. The surgery involved 25 medical professionals and lasted 12 hours.
The patient is Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano, 11, a resident of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which is known to be one of the deadliest cities not only in Mexico but the entire world due to the presence of drug cartels.
The young boy had been afflicted with the tumor since birth. The deadly tumor had occupied parts of his shoulder, torso and neck.
Jose's parents are glad that their son has finally received treatment. They explain that the tumor had become so massive that it affected Jose's eyesight. They also feared that the tumor would spread to the heart, which may become fatal.
The patient's family tried to raise money or get treatment in their hometown and also in El Paso, Texas, but their efforts failed.
Members of the First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho saw Jose's suffering while on a visit to Ciudad Juarez. The members of the church found the boy walking in the city streets; his parents had lost all hope to get Jose treated.
Since then, the congregation started to raise money for Jose's surgery. When stories and pictures of the boy with the massive tumor went viral, the church also witnessed a spike in the donations.
The church also received help from the U.S. Homeland Security Department to get Jose and his family to New Mexico where his surgery would take place.
Doctors at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital said Jose was diagnosed with venous lymphangioma and that he needed to undergo a series of operations to successfully remove the tumor.
Kristean Alcocer, a Spanish ministry coordinator for the First Baptist Church, who also helped Jose and his family come to the U.S., expressed enthusiasm after the success of the operation.
"We are so thrilled. This has been two years in the making," says Alcocer.
Jose will still have to undergo further surgeries to reconstruct his shoulder bone and get rid of excess skin. Alcocer suggests that it will be a long road ahead of Jose and his family before he is fully recovered.
Susana Martinez, governor of New Mexico, has also requested federal officers to extend Jose's stay in the country so that he can receive uninterrupted treatment.
