Turtle Boy Undergoes Surgery to Remove Disfiguring Mole

A six-year old boy from Colombia who was nicknamed “turtle boy” because of a large mole on his back resembling a turtle shell has successfully undergone surgery to remove it. Didier Montalvo suffered from a rare condition known as Congenital Melanocytic Nevus which led to a formation of a large mole that covered his entire back. Didier had to suffer from abuse in his village with the villagers believing that he was cursed as he was conceived during an eclipse.

With his mother unable to pay for a surgery that could remove the mole, help came from Dr Neil Bulstrode, a surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, who heard about his condition and travelled to Bogota with his team to perform the surgery.

A number of skin grafts were conducted before the mole was removed. Stating that it was the worst case that he knew about, Dr Bulstrode said, “Didier's was the worst case I had ever seen. Effectively three quarters of the circumference of his body was affected. Obviously he has had to go through a number of painful operations, but we feel it was worth it. It's great to see the photos of how Didier is getting on now. I'm really happy with how things have healed.”

Source-Medindia