Shocking pictures show a builder who has developed a tumour the size of his skull in his mouth.
Leonardo Moris took a knock to the mouth while playing basketball as a teenager in Ormoc City, Philippines.
The now 30-year-old then suffered toothache-like pain for several years, before a tumour began to develop when he was 23.
Scans diagnosed Mr Moris with the rare disease ameloblastoma, which affects the jaw and can, according to medics, occur following an injury to the area.
The growth, which has engulfed all of Mr Moris’ jaw, could kill him if untreated, local reports claim. However, the construction worker, who earns just a few pounds a day, cannot afford the £5,000 operation.
Leonardo Moris developed a tumour the size of his skull in his lower jaw more than a decade after he injured his mouth while playing basketball as a teenager
Despite being in constant pain, Mr Moris works every day as a builder in a desperate attempt to pay for surgery. He earns just a few pounds a day, with the operation costing up to £5,000
Despite being in constant pain, Mr Moris continues to work every day in a desperate attempt to raise enough money to pay for surgery.
‘I really need help to get medical treatment,’ he said.
‘The injury happened when I was a teenager playing basketball. Then it was aggravated and swelled. I was always waiting for the injury to heal but it only got bigger.’
Although Mr Moris’ tumour is benign, ameloblastomas can destroy jaw bones, and even spread to the sinuses and eye sockets.
His niece, Jolina Andoy, claims the growth has become so over-powering that Mr Moris can barely eat solid food and survives on a daily diet of soup, water and fruit juice.
‘At first, everybody thought that he was just having a toothache,’ Ms Andoy said.
‘The pain went away for some time, but then suddenly his mouth started swelling. We cannot afford the operation, but everybody is trying to save together for him.’
Dr Stephen Garcia, an oncologist from the East Avenue Medical Center in Manila, the Philippines, said that although Mr Moris’ condition is advanced, it could be cured.
The tumour means Mr Moris can barely eat and exists on soups, water and fruit juice
Scans diagnosed Mr Moris with the rare disease ameloblastoma, which affects the jaw and can occur following an injury to the area. He suffered toothache-like pain to his mouth after it was hit while playing basketball. Seven years later, a tumour began to gro
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