For the second time in less than a year, John Meara, MD, chief of Plastic Surgery at Children’s, has performed surgery on a Haitian infant to remove a rare growth, called an encephalocele.
Fifteen-month-old Jean Osse was born with a fist-sized growth protruding from between his eyes, blocking his vision. The rare neurological defect is caused by the bones of the skull failing to close completely during development.
Last year, 1-year-old Dumanel Luxama (at left, with his father Almane) made the same 1,600 mile trek from Haiti to Children’s to receive the surgery that would change his life. Read Dumanel’s story and watch a video showing him before and after surgery.