Girl Awaits 16-Pound Facial Tumor Removal

[Lady Resin]

(AP) A Vietnamese girl with a 16-pound facial tumor is in Miami awaiting surgery to restore her ability to eat and speak.

Fifteen-year-old Lai Thi Dao suffers from a Schwannoma tumor that has been growing since she was 3. The tumor has severely disfigured her face and kept her from ever attending school.

Doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove it in a 10-hour surgery on April 29.

Schwannoma tumors are usually benign. Lai's doctors say the size of her tumor is extremely rare and that it likely won't return once it's removed.

The International Kids Fund is seeking donations to fund Lai's surgery.

http://bc.images.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2008-04/38176821-23104144.jpg

[Furtherman]

That's more like a Saskatchewan tumor.

[Bulldogcakes]

Poor kid. Hope the surgery goes well.

[TeeBone]

Normally, I'd make a prick remark here but this is a horrible way for a kid to start a life.

[Brad_Rush]

G'Damn how does something like that happen... I can't imagine what that poor girl and her family go through. If that was my kid I don't know if I would be able to look at her, as horrible as that sounds.

[ryno1974]

It makes me feel for the family that probably cant afford to get it looked after. Makes me proud to be a Canadian knowing the dollars wouldn't stop my kids from getting the medical help they need.

My american friends : How many people in the US could afford to get this looked after? Would the medical bills pileup, or would the treatment be refused without pre- payment?

[jonyrotn]

It looks a lot like King Hippo's double chin..

[sailor]

wow, i really misread this thread's title.

[FUNKMAN]

hope she stays strong and keeps her chin up

[SatCam]

hope she stays strong and keeps her chin up

are you saying she needs to keep her head in the game?

[TeeBone]

My american friends : How many people in the US could afford to get this looked after?

You are a gay, Upper-American. Just remember that if we wanted to, we could take you.

[Thebazile78]

....
My american friends : How many people in the US could afford to get this looked after? Would the medical bills pileup, or would the treatment be refused without pre- payment?

It depends on one's insurance. In some cases, this could be taken care of with little-to-no upfront costs ... and in cases of GREAT insurance, it could be 100% covered with nothing more to pay than your insurance premium. If you get your insurance through your employer, they usually subsidize a % and deduct the rest from your gross-pay, reducing the amount you are taxed.

If a family had no insurance, some states offer state-subsidized "well-child" services and many hospitals will cover cases like this through their "charity care" programs.

Sometimes a family gets financial help from their community, whether it's through their church or synagogue or another community or religious organization. My entire town has pulled together for several families over the years who were in financial need to cover medical bills due to accidents or non-covered treatments.

There are definitely options.
























(Of course, if all else fails, the family could tell their sob story to their local media outlet in the hopes of it being picked up as a national story that might garner celebrity interest ... which could end up paying for anything they couldn't afford because of the warm heartedness of the American public.)