See photos of Nigerian girl who can Finally Smile After Surgeons Removed a football-sized tumour growing in her mouth (photos)
The huge disfigurement was sprouting from the centre of her lower jaw bone and was formed by cells that usually make the enamel of teeth.. Miraculously the teenager was still able to eat and speak, but became so self-conscious that she stopped going to school. After local hospitals failed to help, Grace was admitted to charity hospital Mercy Ships, where she underwent a four-hour surgery to remove the tumour, lower jaw and teeth. Grace said local doctors offered no treatment because they remained baffled by her condition. "It started from a little swelling inside and the gums started growing little by little," she said. "We went to hospital and they didn't know what it was - they did nothing." Grace's mother Christine says she was forced to watch her daughter suffer and had no idea who to turn to for help. Christine said: "I didn't know what to do - in hospital they just talked a lot but did nothing." Describing what it's like to live ...