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Zoubair Lahdodi lived for 18 years with an enormous growth weighing down the side of his face.
He was born with a mass on his face, and has he grew, the mass grew with him.
But in Casablanca, where he’s from, he wasn’t known for his facial growth.
He was known for his talented stunt biking, so much that in his hometown, he’s nicknamed Stunteur Zoubair.
However, when his doctors heard about this, they were more than just worried.
Zoubair was born with a venous malformation, which means that the growth was basically just swollen blood vessels.
If he fell while biking and hit his growth, doctors said, he could rupture it, and drown in his own blood.
It was vital that Zoubair have it removed.
But his father, Abderrahmane, is a taxi driver. He couldn’t pay for his son to get the treatment he needed in America.
That’s where the Waner Foundation stepped in. This charity which helps children who need life-changing surgeries, brought Zoubair to New York and paid for his treatment.
Dr. Waner, the surgeon who operated on him, said, “When I saw the video of him stunt cycling, I was absolutely horrified because any bump could result in a terminal hemorrhage…he has a high risk for spontaneous hemorrhage without me even touching him, so Zoubair is, I have to say, a walking time bomb, so we really have to get on and do his treatment.”
He then went through seven separate surgeries to remove the growth on his face, almost in its entirety. He almost died after the first procedure, but recovered after 10 days in intensive care.
Before surgery, he struggled to eat, sleep, speak, or breathe. Now, he’s expected to live a relatively normal life.
“Some people laugh at me but they shouldn’t see my deformity, they should see what’s in my head,” says Zoubair. Now that he’s had treatment, he’s grateful.
“I never expected this. It’s overwhelming. I thank the people who brought me here.” But mostly, he’s just excited to go home.
