Jharkhand youth looks forward to help from good Samaritans (Lead, correcting para five)

A 25-year-old youth from Jharkhand - who got a new lease of life after a team of medical specialists from West Bengal removed a very rare tumour from his face without charging a dime - is looking forward to help from more good Samaritans.

Doctors who operated upon Mithilesh have now appealed for financial help for the second phase of surgery on him to restore his normal looks.

Mithilesh, who hails from Jamshedpur, was troubled by the tumour for the last two decades as he could not even eat properly due to the malady. And his socialising had been reduced to a bare minimum as he used to move around with a towel wrapped around his face to hide the tumour.

A team specially formed at the Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Howrah removed a one-kg benign bone tumour - called osteoblastoma - from the left side of his face after a marathon 14-hour operation.

Experts in head and neck region, anaesthesia, plastic and reconstructive and aesthetic dental surgeries and others chipped in to relieve the youth of his agony.

While the tumour was removed around seven months ago, doctors are now looking forward to restore his normal looks.

"The second phase of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery will try to restore Mithilesh's normal looks.

"Even though the hospital has offered to perform this surgery also free of cost on humanitarian grounds, pre-fabricated and customised implant required for the surgery itself cost around Rs.5 lakh. Funds need to be generated for the same," said Rajdeep Guha, the team's head and a neck surgeon who operated on Mithilesh.

"We appeal to large-hearted individuals and corporates to contribute for this noble cause that will transform Mithilesh's quality of life," said Rakesh Verma, facility director of the Howrah hospital.

"He had no social life and used to wrap a towel around his face. He couldn't eat and breathe properly and was nutritionally poor when he came to us," Guha said.

The turnaround for Mithilesh began when he attended a medical camp organised by the Brahmananda Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jamshedpur, where he was assessed by a team of doctors from the Howrah hospital.

Given his economic background, the hospital offered to perform the surgery free of cost.

"I was in a lot of pain. I had also lost all hope of leading a normal life again. I wanted to study but couldn't because of the tumour. I have been troubled by the tumour since the age of six. I just wanted the tumour to go and the pain to stop," Mithilesh said.

Mithilesh, meanwhile, says his another unfulfilled wish is to build a house for his mother.