PROFOH Missions: Inside the high-stakes battle to save a woman sapped by 35-pound tumor
Owerri, Nigeria – Surgical teams described it as a battle plan that had to be thrown out the window the second contact was made with the enemy. When a patient named Ogechi first arrived at the hospital, she was entirely bedridden and too weak to walk, her body failing under the weight of an enormous left breast mass that was actively “sucking the life out of her”.
Professionals for Humanity (PROFOH) doctors Dr. Brian Camazine and Dr. Mike Enyinnah originally planned a slow, meticulous dissection to systematically control the blood supply, knowing the veins feeding the mass were wider than a human thumb.
However, upon the first incision, the tumor began hemorrhaging so violently that the rushing of blood was explicitly audible in the operating theater. Pivoting instantly to emergency protocols, the surgeons abandoned the slow dissection, utilizing a scalpel to rapidly cut away the massive tumor as fast as humanly possible before compressing the wound to stop the bleeding.
The high-stakes gamble paid off. Following weeks of careful wound care and a subsequent skin graft, Ogechi made a stunning recovery. Laboratory results confirmed the mass was a cystosarcoma phylloides. Six months later, Ogechi returned to the clinic completely tumor-free, having gained 35 pounds and successfully reclaimed her mobility and health.
Prof. Camazine is a ranking member of the Global Board of Directors of the organisation.
