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The tumor started out as little more than a cyst on Lai Thi Dao's tongue when she was three years old. At that stage, surgery to remove the growth would have been quick, cheap and relatively painless. But Dao had little access to medical care where she lived, and the tumor went untreated.

By the time Lai was 15, the tumor had slowly consumed the lower half of her face and accounted for roughly one-third of her body weight. As it grew, normal tasks such as talking, eating, drinking and sleeping became increasingly difficult.


Doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson told the Miami Herald that the Schwannoma tumor was one of the largest ever reported, but it probably won't return now that it has been removed.