23 ops to repair cancer victim’s face

What's the worst thing that ever happened to your face when you were a teenager? For most of us it was a nasty outbreak of zits. Mine was bad acne.

It was much worse for a young East London woman from Dice. Londiwe Ben was 17 years old and nine months pregnant when she developed a cancerous tumour so large that doctors had to cut half her face away to remove it.

With the tumour went her right cheek bone, teeth and gums. Her cancer, eventually diagnosed as ameloblastic carcinoma, is so rare that less than 150000 people are known to have had it worldwide.

In 2007 the only life-changing event Ben, now 27, was aware of was the baby growing in her belly.

Very close to her due date she felt what she believed was a sore wisdom tooth which made the right-hand side of her face swell. But this was shortly followed by three days of labour, after which she delivered a healthy baby boy.

Sometime during labour her toothache disappeared, but the swelling on her face remained.

She consulted doctors at Mpilweni Day Hospital and they transferred her to Frere hospital.

Between 2007 and 2009, Frere would often call her to come in so staff could perform biopsies on what was now recognised as a tumour deforming her face. But until the tumour could be diagnosed doctors were at a loss as to what treatment to follow.

“Finally in 2011 the results came back identifying the cancer and I was transferred from the dentistry department to ENT ,” she said.

Ben was diagnosed with ameloblastic carcinoma, a rare cancerous tumour that forms in the bones of the jaw. It is classified as an odontogenic tumour, meaning that it arises from the epithelium that forms the enamel of the teeth.

The pattern of epithelial growth is similar to a developing tooth germ and distinctive enough to separate it from other epithelial malignancies.

The exact cause of ameloblastic carcinoma is unknown. Most cases arise spontaneously without a previous history of cancer.

When Ben was 22 years old and lying in a hospital bed in Frere, ENT specialist Dr Enzo Galvano took over her case.

By now Ben had accepted that the right side of her face was going to be swollen for the rest of her life.

“There was nothing I could do about it – the cancer was already there and I knew I had to live in order to provide for my son. I was young but I never considered committing suicide,” she said.

Galvano explained that until 2008 there were fewer than 66 cases of Ben’s cancer reported in English-language literature.

A decision was made to surgically remove the tumour as this particular cancer did not respond to the usual methods of treatment.

Galvano said: “We had no choice but to go ahead with surgery also in consideration that this particular tumour is not radiosensitive.

“The tumour involved the whole right maxillary sinus, the ethmoid sinus and the floor of the orbit, which had to be removed.”

The successful operation was done in December 2011. However, given how much of her face had to be cut away, Ben’s appearance was significantly altered.

Half her mouth did not even have teeth.

“It was very difficult for me to process, although my family and I were counselled and informed of what the operation would entail. Dr Galvano was happy that the cancer in my face had been removed but I walked around with a half-flat face for a few months,” she said.

Happily for Ben, Galvano was not content to just remove the cancer – he wanted to restore Ben’s smile.

And so, after the operation, he set about ensuring that her face would be reconstructed.

Galvano made several calls requesting donations to restore the young woman’s confidence in her looks. He secured sponsorships from the Arcadia Rotary Club and Coca-Cola’s Wings and Wishes non-profit organisation.

He managed to enlist the help of Johannesburg doctors to reconstruct Ben’s face.

“The doctors in Johannesburg took bone and flesh from my leg to fix my face. During that time I travelled there about four times a year.

“In 2015 I got teeth implants and now I can smile again. It was a difficult eight-year journey. Now, 23 operations later, I feel like I have new lease on life.

“Doctors have even taken fat from my stomach to put in my cheek to try and even it out with the left cheek,” she said.

“In this time I spent months in hospital. My life drew to a halt. But I accepted it. I always believed God would heal me,” she said.

Ben said there were people who would say mean, inconsiderate things.

“Some people said I was bewitched and that I should consult sangomas. None of that was even an option. I was just glad the cancer was detected early enough for it to be removed. Now look at me. God has been good to me,” she said.

“There were times I thought I would die and I was scared,” she said.

Ben’s mother, Thandeka, said the whole family felt helpless watching their daughter and sibling go through so much pain and not be able to take it away.

“It was hard on all of us but we had to be strong for her. The thought of having cancer of the face was scary but the doctors were encouraging. When she was in hospital she looked like she had been hit by a bus and even her son was scared of looking at her because that was not how he knew his mother,” Thandeka said.

“The best thing that came out of this is that it brought our family together. We were all united.

“We rallied around her and wanted her to feel our love and that she was not alone. We thank God for all the hospital staff that healed her,” she said.

Ben’s brother Thulani said: “We would also like to thank all the sponsors and Dr Galvano. We could have never in a million years afforded to pay for the treatment. We are very grateful. May God bless everyone that helped my sister.”

Ben now works for Metrorail in Dutywa.

“I can now confidently serve people with a smile,” she says. — siyab@dispatch.co.za