Doctors in Louisiana have successfully removed a rare tumour from a three-year-old Brazilian girl's face - and the transformation is jaw-dropping.
Last month, Melyssa travelled to the United States from Sau Paulo for treatment with Dr Celso Palmieri and Dr G.E. Ghali, surgeons at LSU Health-Shreveport.
Willis-Knighton, the hospital hosting her, agreed to provide housing for the family and underwrite the cost of the hospital stay to help Melyssa's parents, who were already raising travel funds.
On Monday (local time) the surgical team and Melyssa's family opened up about the surgery - a procedure that took a whopping 10 hours.
"When we were able to remove this tumour; it weighed over five pounds, and [it was from] a child that probably doesn't weigh more than 25 pounds herself - so a good percentage of her weight was this tumour," Dr Ghali said.
Melyssa still faces more surgeries in the future but is well on her way to recovery.
CBS News
