Newborn girl born with a giant red BALLOON-like growth

A newborn girl born with a giant balloon-like growth on her face could die unless she receives treatment soon, doctors fear.

Angelica Hail Heachanova, eight days old, from the Philippines, has the small red bubble protruding from her eyes – but its cause is unknown.

The mass baffled doctors on the island of Boracay, and since then it has grown even bigger – now resembling a large balloon attached to her face.

Her parents, who are fearing the worst, are begging for doctors to find a way to stop the growth from expanding further.

They are pining for their daughter, who is receiving round-the-clock care in hospital, to come home and ‘be part of the family’.

Angelica Hail Heachanova, eight days old, from a remote island in the Philippines, has the red bubble protruding from her eyes

Angelica’s father Rufino, 44, said: ‘’Angelica was born and we saw there was a problem but we thought it could be cured easily.

‘That was not the situation and the growth continued to get worse. Doctors have not been able to stop it.

Nightmare for her parents

‘Angelica has been in hospital since the day she was born. It is our dream for her to be able to return home with us to be part of the family.

‘She is being cared for every day and we don’t know what the outcome will be.’

The mass baffled doctors on the island of Boracay, and since then it has grown even bigger – now resembling a large balloon attached to her face

Her parents, who are fearing the worst, are begging for doctors to stop the growth from expanding further

Angelica has been transferred from the remote island to the mainland where she is set to be treated at the Western Visayas Medical center in Iloilo City.

NEUROBLASTOMA: THE FACTS

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialised nerve cells in the nervous system and other tissues.

Fewer than 100 children in the UK are diagnosed each year with the disease and most are diagnosed when they are younger than five.

It is the second most common solid tumour in childhood, and it makes up eight per cent of the total number of children’s cancers.

Neuroblastoma commonly occurs in either one of the two adrenal glands in a child’s tummy or in nerve tissue that runs alongside the spinal cord, in the neck, chest, abdomen or pelvis.

The cancer can spread to tissues beyond the original site, including bone marrow, bone, lymph nodes, liver and skin.

As with most cancers the cause of neuroblastoma is unknown. The symptoms vary depending on where a child’s tumour is.

Treatment depends on the age of the child, as well as the size and position of the tumour and whether the disease has spread.

Source: Macmillan Cancer Support

Doctors are conducting various tests on the infant and sending samples of skin from the growth to laboratories for examination.

The growth appears similar to that of a seven-year-old Pakistani boy’s, who boxing superstar Amir Khan came to the rescue for in June.

The former world champion read about the plight of Ali Hassan, who was fighting a neuroblastoma, on MailOnline.

Concerned surgeons

Surgeons fear that operating on the bubble to try to remove it from Angelica’s face could lead to severe blood loss.

But they believe that if the growth is left untreated it could explode and also cause blood loss, according to local reports.

Family friend Archie Hilario, who has been communicating with the doctors for the parents, gave an update.

What the parents are feeling

He said: ‘There are still tests being carried out on the baby Angelica to try to see what is causing this and what to do next.

‘Doctors are concerned about blood clotting. The hospital cannot operate until they know exactly what it is.

‘They are also worried that there will be blood loss, or that the growth is attached to important blood vessels or her eyes.

‘The medical staff still have not identified what this is and what caused it.

‘The parents are feeling depressed about it because it is their first baby. They are not sure if they did anything wrong.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk