...and that is the reason the tumor grew to such proportions, due to abstinence of a blood transfusion.
Sorry if this has already been mentioned, and it probably has. I was just shocked as I have never been aware of this "small detail" of the story before.
The following is a paste from http://www.amateurscientist.org/2007_12_01_archive.html
Jehovah's Witness Without a Face
When Jose Maestre was 14, a tumor began growing on his face. The tumor could have been treated with a simple blood transfusion, but since Maestre was raised a Jehovah's Witness, such a procedure was against his religion. Now the tumor has grown to a horrible, disfiguring 15 inches long, and it weighs 12 pounds. However, a charitable doctor at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London thinks he can perform a surgical procedure using ultrasound waves to remove the tumor. In all the heartwarming magnanimity on display here, is anyone else wondering how Maestre's mother ("from whom he took his religious beliefs", to quote the Telegraph 's article) was allowed to refuse him a blood transfusion when he was a child? Isn't that child abuse? This is a rather graphic example of the stupidity of allowing people to use their unwitting children as ideological playthings. If that woman weren't dead, she should be in jail. And if hell existed, I'd wish that upon her, too. More details here.
Please note that the editorial above is not my own.
More info:
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| Jose Mestre | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 8, 1956 ( 1956-10-08 ) (age 53) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Known for | Abnormal medical condition |
Jose Mestre (born October 8, 1956 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a man known for having a 40 cm, 5 kg haemangioma tumor on his face. [ 1 ] The tumor started forming on his lips when he was 14. Mestre has never treated his tumor because of "years of medical misinformation, some misdiagnosis, lack of finances, and reluctance to undergo treatment due to religious beliefs." [ 2 ]
A documentary titled "The Man with No Face ", part of the TV series My Shocking Story, aired on December 6, 2007, on the Discovery Channel at 9pm. [ 1 ]