Grandmother with melting face that made her go blind refuses surgery as she fears dying on operating table
A Grandmother whose face is melting due to a rare condition is
refusing surgery out of fear that an operation will lead to her death.
Wiang Boonmee, 63, from Thailand, went blind in both eyes after
developing abnormal growths that spread across her face, covering her
eyes and twisting her nose and mouth out of shape.She developed the
condition as a child and it only got worse as the years went by. Several
decades later, the unsightly growths hang off her face making it looks
as though her skin is melting.
Wiang leads as close to a normal life as she can, despite her
condition, She still works to earn a living. She recently moved from her
home in rural Surin province to capital Bangkok where she scrapes
together a living selling accessories on the pavement in the centre of
the city.
The mother-of-one's condition received attention last week when
medics were contacted to request assistance for her. But Wiang has
refused help despite the severity of her condition, believed to be
related to neurofibromatosis. This is because she is afraid of dying on
the operating table.
Wiang, who also has two grandchildren, said: “I have had this problem
for a long time. More than I can remember. I have survived and I’m
healthy and have a job. If I have an operation I might never wake up.
I’m afraid I would not survive it. My daughter brings me here so I can
sell flowers and camphor oils. I am happy and somebody gave me a
donation this week, which I’m grateful for.”
Dr Sunura Ourairat, President of Rangsit University, visited Wiang on
the street on Friday to offer to help her get medical attention.
He said: 'I have asked for assistance from the Ministry of Public
Health and asked for doctors to visit this grandmother. She is blind and
originally from the north east region. We are welcome and ready to help
with surgery but she is afraid of dying. She said thank you to
everybody for trying to help. We will continue to see what can be done
for her."
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