#5281: Haitian man who had giant tumor removed in Miami goes home (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: nozier@tradewind.net

	
 By JAIME HERNANDEZ
 
 MIAMI -- (AP) -- A man who had a football-sized tumor removed from his
jaw in August returned to Haiti Tuesday happy to be rid of the
embarrassment and discomfort brought on by the growth. Dieuvius Morancy,
37, told his doctor he is pleased to be going home and is looking
forward to seeing his family and getting married. ``When I get home, I
am going to keep on going to church and pray to the Lord,'' a
 giddy Morancy said through a translator as he waited to board a flight
at Miami International Airport. ``I will tell other people how great the
people have been to me here.'' Doctors at the University of
Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital removed the 18-inch tumor Aug. 16 during
a 10 1/2-hour operation. Morancy's surgeon, Dr. Eric Carlson, said
Morancy was ``self-conscience and embarrassed'' about
 walking around with the growth. ``You see a lot of this sort of ailment
in Haiti because of the lack of health care,'' said Carlson, who
escorted Morancy to the airport. ``He will feel much more
 extroverted now that the tumor's gone.'' The tumor originated from the
same cells that ordinarily form teeth. But for unknown reasons, a benign
tumor, which doctors call an ameloblastoma, began growing inside of
Morancy's jaw instead. It caused Morancy's trachea to shift to the left,
making it difficult for him to swallow and at times speak as the growth
began to invade the space of his tongue.
 Morancy said he wasn't fazed by the attention his tumor attracted,
saying he was ``pleased with the way he was treated by the media and the
public.'' ``He's extremely happy,'' Carlson said. ``He's anxious to get
back to his friends and family in Haiti.'' Morancy, who has a
10-year-old daughter in Haiti, said he didn't make an attempt
 to stay in the United States, but said he would like to return someday.
 ``I will try to stay permanently if I get the chance to come back,'' he
said. ``I love it here.''