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28648: Hermantin(News)Once-disfigured girl has a new look on life (fwd)





From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sat, Jul. 15, 2006


MEDICINE
Once-disfigured girl has a new look on life
A year ago, Marlie Casseus' face was completely disfigured by a 16-pound tumor. Now, after three operations, she is in the process of becoming a normal teenage girl. Doctors are hopeful.
BY HELEN ECKINGER
heckinger@MiamiHerald.com

When she arrived in the United States from Haiti last September, 15-year-old Marlie Casseus was forced to support her disfigured head with her hands. She could barely breathe, see, or swallow. The cause: a 16-pound, tumor-like growth that ballooned underneath the skin of her nose and mouth.

Doctors at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Medical Center removed most of the growth in two operations performed in December and January. On Wednesday, doctors performed the third of at least five surgeries aimed at restoring Marlie's facial function and appearance.

During the nine-hour operation, the team, led by University of Miami maxillofacial surgeon Jesús Gómez, removed the remaining vestiges of the growth and took the first steps toward rebuilding Marlie's face, which had been stretched, distorted, and flattened by the growth.

They inserted plastic implants to serve as Marlie's cheekbones, reduced the space between her eyes and created the beginnings of a nasal bridge.

''I'm happy with the results,'' Gómez said at a news conference Friday. ``She's doing very, very well.''

Marlie suffers from McCune Albright syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that caused fibrous dysplasia. Wednesday's surgery, along with the previous two, was aimed at restoring function, rather than aesthetics.

''Of course, if you're working on the face, there will be some cosmetic results,'' Gómez said.

Ensuing operations will focus more on restoring Marlie's appearance. Gómez said that the next step would focus on repositioning her lower jaw.

''I'm very optimistic for the future,'' he said. ``I don't think Marlie is going to look like 100 percent, but I would say that she will be at least 85 percent.''

Although there is a possibility that some parts of the growth may return, Gómez said that future growths would be small -- nothing on the scale of the 16-pound mass he removed in December. Generally, such growths don't occur in McCune Albright patients after adolescence.

Gómez said physical reconstruction is only one part of Marlie's recovery -- her emotional transformation, he said, has been remarkable.

''A girl who used to hide underneath the table and was treated like an animal is able to go outside and wave at people,'' he said.

Although she will remain in the intensive care unit for the next couple of days, Marlie reportedly is already thrilled with the results. When her mother, Maleine, visited her Friday morning, Marlie's first question was whether the surgeons had successfully created a nose for her.

' `Yes,' I told her, 'You have a nose -- you're beautiful now,' '' Maleine said in Creole at Friday's news conference.

Marlie's surgery has been made possible by contributions from South Florida and around the world. The International Kids Fund, which is part of the Jackson Memorial Foundation, is underwriting the cost of Marlie's care. The fund was notified of Marlie's condition by sisters Gina and Ginette Eugene, whose organization, Good Samaritan for a Better Life, seeks to provide healthcare for poor Haitian children.

Thus far, the Kids Fund has raised $300,000 toward Marlie's cause, which it estimates will cost at least $500,000. Individuals interested in donating should contact the fund at 1-877-IKF-KIDS.

Although Maleine spoke primarily in Creole, using Ginette Eugene as a translator, she used what little English she knew to express her gratitude toward the United States for Marlie's surgeries.

''You did so much, so much for my daughter,'' she said. ``I am happy, happy, happy.''

Then, she broke into song. Her choice? God Bless America.