Kambou Sie was only 10 years old when a tumor started growing on his cheek and within a short span it engulfed his entire face making him look like a monster.
Sie’s strange face did not only cause him pain but also rejection, he was shunned by his own mother and the larger community in Bondoukou, Ivory Coast.
Locals wrongly believe whatever Sie was suffering from was contagious and as such steered clear of him.
Sie’s father was the only person who didn’t shun him, he was by his son’s side as he battled the illness for years.
Doctors in Ivory Coast couldn’t quite tell Sie’s father what his son was suffering from, his condition remained undiagnosed for years until help came from Italy.
Sie was only diagnosed with cancer when he underwent tests at Naples Pascale Hospital in Italy in 2017.
Doctors established that Sie was suffering from Burkitt lymphoma, a rare very fast-growing type of cancer that is found mainly in central Africa.
The exact cause of Burkitt lymphoma is unclear, but the risk of developing it is greater in certain people and certain geographical regions.
Burkitt lymphoma has ties to complications from chronic malaria and infection with the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus 4 which is a member of the herpes virus family.
Surgeons in Italy were however able to wipe out much of the tumor on Sie’s face following six months of treatment.
Since then, chemotherapy and radiotherapy has removed the cancer, and Sie’s face has been reconstructed.
Specialist Dr. Franc Ionna said there is a flaw in the development of the facial bones. Sia had an alteration of the facial bone.
“My face has changed. It’s not finished, but it’s changed. I have also changed. I am not like before. Before leaving, I couldn’t see a thing. I am very happy because when I go out I don’t cry. I am happy to meet people. I go out, I have fun, I play around. I have no problems. I am very happy,” said Kambou Sie.
