美國阿拉巴馬州一名8歲男童史托維 (Amare Stover),因罹患罕見遺傳疾病「神經纖維瘤病 (NF1)」,臉部被巨型腫瘤佔據嚴重變形,不只小小年級就必須面對病痛折磨,也經常被同儕嘲笑是「戴著面具的怪物」。
![Amare Stover was born with neurofibromatosis type one - a genetic disorder that causes tumours to develop all over his body](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62bf27d1.jpg)
![In addition to twisting and distorting his face, he has severe learning difficulties and his swellings have left him blind in one eye](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62c8d024.jpg)
史托維一出生被診斷出罹患神經纖維瘤病,4歲之後病情惡化,如今他的一隻眼睛已盲。醫生表示,若史托維不趕緊接受手術,他將會失去另一隻眼睛。而且如果腫瘤持續長大蔓延至喉部,他將會有生命危險。
![When he was born, Amare's left eye was a little swollen](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62d0e934.jpg)
![After taking him to the doctor, he was found to have glaucoma and NF1](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62d2f635.jpg)
30歲母親坎迪絲 (Kandice Stover) 看見寶貝兒子每天都得受折磨,十分痛心不忍,但最讓她難過的,是外界的批評與不友善。
![His mother Kandice Stover, 30, from Decatur, Alabama, says that her son battles stigma everyday because of his tumours](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62d52252.jpg)
她表示,除了孩子們嘲笑史托維、不願和他玩,大罵他是「戴著面具的怪物」、「醜八怪」等,每一次出門,路人就會投射不友善、厭惡的眼神,「我不懂為什麼大家不能尊重他。甚至還有大人問他,他的面具是哪裡來的。每當到了萬聖節,情況就會更糟糕。」
![In 2012, during an MRI to monitor the growth of his tumours, Amare suddenly stopped breathing](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62d8a76a.jpg)
![He had to be fitted with a permanent trach tube because the tumours grew into his throat and risked choking him to death](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62daf1f5.jpg)
「我告訴史托維,他和其他正常的八歲小孩一樣,要他別因為外人的惡毒以及錯誤而擔心難過。在我眼哩,他就是個正常的八歲小男孩。他喜歡跑來跑去、喜歡運動,就像其他年紀的小孩一樣喜歡玩耍。」
而史托維總是乖巧又貼心,堅強地與病魔搏鬥,如今喉部長了腫瘤,他必須仰賴人工氣管才能正常呼吸。
![Later this month, Amare will consult with plastic surgeons to see if they can remove some of the tumorous mass around his eyes in a bid to save his sight](https://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5909b62ddb7a1.jpg)
即使史托維小小年紀已經歷了數次手術,但他的病情並不樂觀,現在也沒辦法上學,醫生要史托維的家人做好最壞的心理準備。坎迪斯表示,「我盡量讓我的兒子開心和舒適,我讓他知道,我們是愛他的」。
來源:DailyMail
希望史托維能快樂開心地活著,也希望他的病情能有康復的一天!
(往下還有更多精彩文章!)