Didier Montalvo, a six-year-old resident of a village in southern Colombia, had to undergo a series of complex operations in order to permanently get rid of a huge tumor - a congenital melocytic nevus. More recently, 40% of his body was covered with a shell-like growth, which is why poor Didier received the nickname "Turtle Boy".
Huge moles adorned the child's body since birth, but his mother then did not attach much importance to this, deciding that they would disappear with age. However, over time, the disease only progressed. The surgeon who operated on Didier was simply shocked by his neglected state.
The unusual illness caused Didier not only physical suffering - in addition to the fact that the tumor weighs several kilograms, it also itches terribly - but also moral. He and his family were expelled from the village, he was forbidden to go to school and play with other children. Superstitious Colombians blamed Didier's lack on his mother: in their opinion, it was all the fault that she watched a solar eclipse during pregnancy.
Didier could live with his handicap all his life - his poor family simply did not have the money for the operation. However, after his touching story was published in a local newspaper, a flood of donations poured into Montalvo. The operation was carried out by a young surgeon Neil Bulstrode from London, who came to Columbia for this.