Tumour girl travels from Zimbabwe for Royal London treatment

A TEENAGE girl who has endured a five-year battle with a growing facial tumour has been flown over from Zimbabwe for life-saving surgery at the Royal London Hospital. Nomatter Taremedzwa Mapungwana, 18, who struggles to breathe and eat because of the ben

A TEENAGE girl who has endured a five-year battle with a growing facial tumour has been flown over from Zimbabwe for life-saving surgery at the Royal London Hospital.

Nomatter Taremedzwa Mapungwana, 18, who struggles to breathe and eat because of the benign tumour which is growing around her mouth, has travelled thousands of miles to the East End for an emergency operation by a Royal London consultant.

The A-level student, known as Tare, has recently deteriorated but she was contacted by Ian Hutchison, one of the country's leading facial reconstruction surgeons, who offered to do the operation for free.

And with the help of the charity Girl Child Network Worldwide which works to protect young girls in Zimbabwe, �10,000 was raised to pay for Tare and her mum's trip to England and for the rest of her hospital treatment.

President Betty Makoni told the Advertiser: "She has got everything she needs in the hospital to the lead up to the operation on Saturday, which makes us happy.

"Tare is the most brilliant girl in Zimbabwe."

Visit www.girlchildnetworkworldwide.org to make a donation.