Baby Born With Massive Tumor Undergoes Remarkable Transformation After Surgery

This little girl was born with a massive tumor. Both of her parents were worried about what would happen when she got older. Thankfully, they found an excellent surgeon in New York City and now see her remarkable transformation.

A baby girl with a giant facial tumor has multiple surgeries to remove it—see the transformation. https://t.co/713LFXTuA4 pic.twitter.com/YcSCdIwz9f

— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) February 16, 2017

Joe and Jennifer McGillis, from Montana, were both about to become parents for the first time. Although Jennifer’s pregnancy and the birth procedure went very smoothly, both parents were in for a shock when their daughter was born on Feb. 25, 2015. Immediately, they saw that she had a massive lump on her left cheek.

Jennifer told Inside Edition that when she saw her baby for the first time she “went into shock at that point.”

“I had about a minute of panic—terror,” Joe recounted of the moment. It was a benign tumor, which at least for the moment, was harmless. It would, however, create problems for Sloan as she got older.

With the hopes of providing their daughter with a better life, later on, Joe and Jennifer decided to look into getting surgery for their little girl. The procedure would not be easy, and it would require them to travel to New York in order to see a specialist named Dr. Milton Waner.

Joe, Jennifer, and their little girl went to meet the doctor to get a consultation. The surgery, they learned, would require an incision just below the eye, and one between the nose and the cheek. It would be a delicate procedure, the main difficulty being to avoid contacting her facial nerves.

When it was time for the then-10-month-old Sloan to undergo the operation, Jennifer stayed by her daughter’s side right up until the surgery began. It was an intricate procedure, and despite their doctor’s considerable skill, both parents could not help feeling anxious. The procedure took a grueling five hours, though it was decidedly successful.

Because of the massive size of the tumor, Dr. Waner was unable to remove all of it and suggested that they bring Sloan back for two more visits to remove the rest of it. This would allow her facial muscles to develop properly later on.

Regarding how her daughter dealt with the procedure, Jennifer told Inside Edition, “For being a tiny little baby, she handled it all amazingly! She’s not scared.”

Inside Edition followed baby Sloan’s progress for over a year as she underwent two more procedures to remove the tumor. She had her second procedure when she was 14 months old. Then at age 2, her final operation had been completed, thus successfully removing all of the tumor.

Without question, the results are quite impressive. And both parents are gratified by their girl’s remarkable transformation. “A miracle. A chance at a better life,” said Jennifer to Inside Edition.

Throughout her ordeal, Sloan remained a brave little girl. Now, the 4-year-old is thriving at life and also takes gymnastics classes. According to a Facebook post, the strong-willed girl’s dream job is to be a “pedicure girl.”

On her fourth birthday, a Facebook post captioned “in a field of roses she’s a wildflower” well defines her bold spirit. The post read: “It’s crazy to me each time I look back & see how far this girl has come. Just four short years ago we didn’t know what the future would hold for her & now all we see is how she thrives. She’s got sass, independence, humor, brains & beauty! Her strength is like no other. Her resiliency is mind blowing. Although her tumor & surgeries were a large part of the 1st years of her life it was never what defined her. She continues to show the world what she is made of & keeps us on our toes at all times.”

Thanks to her caring parents, who have given everything for their daughter’s future, Sloan is surely a positive inspiration.

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