Jhonny Lameon, 7, after undergoing an incredible operation to remove a growth from his face. Photo: Wayne Taylor
Filipino boy Jhonny Lameon’s face had almost disappeared behind a huge sac of fluid protruding from between his eyes before his case came to the attention of Melbourne surgeons.
The seven-year-old had a rare birth defect called a frontonasal encephalocele, which occurs when the neural tube fails to close during foetal growth. Brain matter and fluids can protrude through the skull, forming a sac-like bulge.
In Jhonny’s case the sac was the size of a cantaloupe, weighing about one and a half kilograms, and had become so large it was obscuring his vision.
Jhonny, before his life-changing surgery. Photo: Monash Health
The little boy’s mouth and nasal airway were functioning normally, but he had to use one hand to hold up the tumour in order to eat and drink, and was teased for his deformity.