I'll never complain about my looks again

[CatWoman]

Huang Chuncai poses before his second operation to remove his tumours, which currently weigh around 10kg (22lbs), at a hospital in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong province, January 3, 2008. Huang, a 32-year-old native from a remote village in China's southern province of Hunan, says he is relieved after a part of his facial tumours, which originally weighed about 23kg (50.7 lbs), was removed last year. His second operation will remove another part of the tumours, which weighs 4.5kg (9.9lbs). Huang suffers from Neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that primarily affects the development and growth of nerve tissues. Picture taken January 3, 2008




Huang Chuncai eats in his ward before his second operation to remove his tumours, which currently weigh around 10kg (22lbs), at a hospital in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong province, January 5, 2008. Huang, a 32-year-old native from a remote village in China's southern province of Hunan, says he is relieved after a part of his facial tumours, which originally weighed about 23kg (50.7 lbs), was removed last year. His second operation will remove another part of the tumours, which weighs 4.5kg (9.9lbs). Huang suffers from Neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that primarily affects the development and growth of nerve tissues. Picture taken January 5, 2008



Huang Chuncai rests before his second operation to remove his tumours, which currently weigh around 10kg (22lbs), at a hospital in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong province, January 5, 2008. Huang, a 32-year-old native from a remote village in China's southern province of Hunan, says he is relieved after a part of his facial tumours, which originally weighed about 23kg (50.7 lbs), was removed last year. His second operation will remove another part of the tumours, which weighs 4.5kg (9.9lbs). Huang suffers from Neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that primarily affects the development and growth of nerve tissues. Picture taken January 5, 2008

[Fierce]

1. I have a bad feeling about where this thread will go.

Maybe my expectations are low.

[blondeatlast]

7. Me too, unfortunately.

Especially since we seem to have so many ill-behaved guests right now.

Prayers for success to Mr. Chuncai.

[Dorian Gray]

74. He has my prayers too

Seeing his story really makes me ashamed of all the little things that I complain about.

[CatWoman]

13. I want to state up front that I did not

repeat, DID NOT post this as something that deserves ridicule.

I found this gentleman's condition extremely curious, much like the Elephant man.

[blondeatlast]

18. I think that is understood. But my experience tells me the smart-alecks

may not contain themselves, unfortunately.

I for one, am counting my blessings right now.

[Hoof Hearted]

25. And we got one - down thread. I was hoping you would be wrong

I was hoping we were better.

[Fierce]

27. "Curious"? Hm.

I'm sure he appreciates it.

[CatWoman]

28. well, you know what they say about curiosity.....

[Fierce]

Heh.

But seriously. When you say "I'll never complain about my looks again," it's hard not to hear "Man, this guy is so ugly the rest of us have nothing to worry about." I mean, you didn't say, "I'll never complain about my health again." It was about how he looks.

[NorthernSpy]

35. it's a terrible thing to be deprived of a normal face...

I think most people would endure a fairly severe degree of ill-health in preference to losing their faces.


It's not a frivolous concern.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

44. Oh, don't mind him.

He'll be alllllllright.

[Midlodemocrat]

50. Yup. I'm sure he is reading DU right now and hatin' on CatWoman.

:eyes:

[wtmusic]

41. Your expectations need some raising. nt

[Virginia Dare]

2. That's horrific, worse than "the elephant man".....n/t

[Fresh_Start]

3. Its absolutely amazing what people have been able to live

with and thank goodness for the advances in medicine which can help ppl like this poor man or the baby girl with the extra limbs from her partially absorbed twin.

[geiger]

4. kind of puts things in perspective, huh?

[CatWoman]

5. understatement of the year

..............

[rocktivity]

53. And the year is barely a week old.

:headbang:
rocknation

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Yes, it certainly does

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. It sure does! It really does!

[Dawggie]

6. that poor man

I hope the surgeries are successful.

[TahitiNut]

8. CIGNA must not be his insurer

:dunce:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. No, I think the state has his medical bills covered

Now, whether the level of care is the same as might be received in the U.S. under CIGNA's policies, I don't know.

I expect that CIGNA would try to weasel out of paying.

[jillan]

10. Underneath that face is a human being that is no different than you.

Please do not laugh at him.

[CatWoman]

11. now, pray tell, where did you get that I was laughing at him??????

[jillan]

22. Catwoman -

I wasn't referring to you, but I am sure someone will post on this thread that will make fun of him.

[NorthernSpy]

30. you meant "you" in the plural or general sense...

... rather than in the singular or specific sense.


I get ya.

[truebrit71]

12. Say what? Me thinks you got it ALL wrong...

...that's not what the OP was doing at all...

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. Who is laughing at him? I haven't seen any of that in this thread.

:shrug:

[blondeatlast]

23. Good Lord, she ISN'T. Her comments were quite empathetic and respectful. nt

[pitohui]

56. her posting of the pictures was cruel and disrespectful

i was an FLK and there is simply no excuse for the publication of these photos outside a private medical record

she posted to poke fingers at the freak and say, thank god for the grace of god, i'm superior to that freak

that she phrased this nicely is absolutely no excuse

[NorthernSpy]

62. well, maybe he WANTS to be seen...

The photos aren't candid streetshots. He posed for them.


His family can't pay the whole cost of his surgeries. Maybe they're hoping that if people see him and hear his story, they'll help him.



And I think you've got CatWoman all wrong.

[CatWoman]

64. you know, I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit removed

from under my right arm a few years ago.

the tumor is now returning on my right shoulder area.

I am starting to get somewhat antzy about it.

Perhaps this is "MY" way of dealing with "MY" problem.

You have no idea what's going through my head.

I was in no way referring to this man as a freak.

it could very well be me.

P.s.: go fuck yourself. good and hard.

[uppityperson]

72. Top looked at photo on Yahoo. Are they cruel and disrespectful too?

And you are the one I see saying "freak".

[sandnsea]

14. My heaven

How in the world does something like this happen. It's just shocking. Poor man.

And I know you aren't laughing at anybody. :hi:

[truebrit71]

15. Catwoman, why in the world would you ever get down on yourself...

...you have one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known...

Love ya!!!

:loveya:

[CatWoman]

40. .....

:loveya:

[Sanity Claws]

17. The poor man

He must have suffered tremendously. He seems to have problems even eating. I hope he gets the help he needs.

[LeftCoast]

19. That poor man

I hope those surgeries work out for him and that he has a speedy recovery!

[Name removed]

20. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AlCzervik]

26. that poor man, i can't imagine what kind of pain he must be in.

[NorthernSpy]

29. the cruelest thing is that the rest of him seems normal...

Why did it have to be his face?


You can be singled out for unimaginable suffering for no reason.

[Cronopio]

33. "You can be singled out for unimaginable suffering for no reason."

Unfortunately yes. Which is why I've never been a part of the "blame the victim" meme that's been circulating for the last 30 years.

From a Buddhist standpoint, he's a priceless opportunity to practice compassion. For far too many, he's just a trigger for social aversion therapy programming.

I'd pay for his medical bills myself if I could. I can't imagine the life he's seen.

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. That poor man.

:( I wonder if those tumors can grow back?

[ChickMagic]

49. Yes, they can.

Neurofibromytosis continues to grow regardless of surgeries.
Hopefully the doctors will follow up and keep him from developing
such debilitating tumors.

I had a neighbor with neurofibromatosis. His was different - he
had small to medium bumps all over his body, inside and out.
When he spoke, you could tell the tumors were impeding his
speech. He died, and it was a very, very sad day.

I hope this fellow has good luck. Poor guy. I feel for him.

[A HERETIC I AM]

60. I have a customer that has it as well.

He is really a good guy, has a refreshing sense of humor - when he allows it to show. He has a generally sour attitude it seems because i think he expects everyone to have the same reaction to him - one of morbid, staring curiosity. Since he realized i was genuinely happy to hear from him or see him, he has opened up considerably. He has a rather large growth on the right side of his face and the tumor is covered with naevus flammeus or a "Port Wine Stain" birthmark. The tumor extends from his eye down to his chin.

The man referenced in the OP is going to have a tough go. That is a lot of tissue to remove.

[jlake]

32. Oh my gosh. That is heartbreaking. I hope that the operation is successful.

[Cronopio]

34. From an older article about Huang.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=469249&in_page_id=1811

"Huang quit school when he was 10 years old because his classmates laughed and alienated him because of his condition."

"Several years ago, a circus approached his father to buy his son for holding "monster performances" at pier, station and tourist area, but his parents refused."

:grr: :nuke:

[goodgd_yall]

37. Thank god he has compassionate and caring parents.

[Binka]

39. Jesus God. A Circus? What Is Wrong With Humanity?

For a buck they would put that poor creature on display to be humiliated and ridiculed? For shame. For shame. Thank goodness his parents had more sense and compassion.

[Fierce]

46. Some people are "curious" about such things, apparently.

Human nature, I guess.

[CatWoman]

55. I take that to be a slam against me

however, if I'm not mistaken, it's one thing to be curious about a terrible condition, and quite another to sell someone with that condition to a circus. Or to pay to see someone in a circus with that condition.

why don't you take a couple rungs off that ladder leading up to your high horse.

[blondeatlast]

45. Humanity hasn't grown much since we began to walk on two legs, have we? (Shudder).

Again, I pray for his health.

[goodgd_yall]

36. A friend showed me a video of this man.

Poor man. There was a video of him sitting with some children that was really sweet. A little girl stroked a part of his face.

[rocktivity]

38. The real crime is that nothing gets done until they get to this size.

And here's hoping that the insurance company doesn't decide that his treatments are cosmetic and refuse to pay.

:headbang:
rocknation

[wtmusic]

42. No kidding. nt

[Canuckistanian]

66. The rest of the civilized world doesn't use "insurance companies"

Sorry, but that's an American phenomenon only.

The rest of the world uses government-paid health care.

I'm always astounded that people assume that the American system is used anywhere else.

It's not.

If your post was a joke, please disregard.

[youthere]

43. I can't even begin to imagine how painful that must be.

[mnhtnbb]

47. Discovery Health Channel had a story on a similar condition

in a woman in an Eastern European nation. They followed her through successful surgery and her return home.

[CatWoman]

58. I saw one such program about a woman who had a massive tumor

removed from her stomach. Inside the tumor, they found teeth and hair :wow:

[NorthernSpy]

59. dermoid cysts have been known to contain eyes and brain matter...

One football player was found to have a dermoid cyst in his head when he blew his nose and a mysterious tooth came popping out of his nostril.


The horror...


:scared:

[SoCalDem]

63. fetus in fetu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitic_twin

[Midlodemocrat]

48. I had a student with neurofibromatosis. It is a horrific disease.

This poor man.

[Evoman]

51. Oh man.

Poor fucking guy...what a terrrible disease. Hopefully, with scientific advances, some day we can get rid of conditions like his.

[Evoman]

52. Dupe

[pitohui]

54. the subject line should have contained a warning

i think it is cruel and unnecessary to include photos of the victim of this disease, i don't need to see the guy suffer just for my internet entertainment hour

what's wrong with people?

if you looked like this, you'd not want your photo splashed across the internet, as it is, i don't want MY photo splashed across the internet, but you're treating this person not as a human being but as a freakshow

where is the heart? where is the common sense?

it must be nice to know that you'll never be sick and never be injured so much that YOUR looks will ever amuse or frighten anyone, so you can sit back and poke fingers at somebody else

[Postman]

57. Genetic disorder but caused by what?

Does he live in a more than usual polluted area?

[NorthernSpy]

61. I believe that some cases are thought to be "sporadic"...

... in other words, the result of new (rather than inherited) genetic mutation.


(FWIW)

[Sugar Smack]

65. My prayers are with Mister Chuncai.

And my love is with you too, CatWoman!:loveya:

[StarryNite]

67. Extremely sad.

Where is that all-loving compassionate god? Oh, yeah, I'm sure this is just some sort of test.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

68. This is the type of thing that Facing the World deals with, Except they deal with children

This is one of the boys they helped that had the same of Neurofibromatosis as Chuncai.


Arianto who suffers from Neurofibromatosis with hemifacial giganticism.

I was given the documentary My New Face for my birthday last year. He was one of the children featured on it.

At the time I thought his condition was heartbreaking, but to see Mr. Chuncai and realize how long he's been living like this is much worse.

If anyone is interested here's the link to Facing the World's website:

http://www.facingtheworld.co.uk/

You can purchase the documentary I mention above by clicking on the link with Arianto's picture.

[Sugar Smack]

69. Is that what caused the fellow

in The Mask to die? That's heart-breaking.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

73. I think he had elephantiasis.

The same disease as the man in The Elephant Man.

[JitterbugPerfume]

70. that is just heartbreaking

that poor man.

[lonestarnot]

71. Oh man, poor guy. Looks like they are fixing him though.