In a special report, the Daytona Beach News-Journal shares the story of how a Florida surgeon and hospital rescued a 34-year-old mother of four from Haiti from a tumor in her mouth that was so massive she could not close her mouth or eat anything other than liquids.
Deline Louigene had sought help in Haiti as the benign tumor grew so large it was about to shut off her airway. But she was turned away in her home country.
A Haitian missionary from West Palm Beach who met Louigene in Haiti managed to round up help for her: Dr. Curtis Schalit, a maxillofacial surgeon from Daytona Beach, donated his services in the six-hour operation through a charity he co-founded; Halifax Health also donated use of its facilities. A small Haitian church near Ocala raised the money to bring Louigene to Florida.
A reporter and photographer from the News-Journal documented the case in detail (Editor's warning: Some of the photos are graphic.)
