Marisha Dotson was only 24 years old when doctors diagnosed her with severe skin cancer. In order to get rid of the cancer, she had to undergo, among others, partial nose amputation. Her face has been operated 49 times so far. As she admits, she cannot recognize her own face now.
The story of the 29-year-old is described in the magazine «People». Marisha Dotson, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was only 24 years old when she first noticed a small growth on her nose. Little did she know that this was the beginning of a dangerous disease that would change her life – and her face – forever.
In July 2014, doctors diagnosed a woman with malignant squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, just seven weeks after she first noticed a small growth.
What initially was an innocent growth, rapidly increased in size and in August the woman underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Unfortunately, it turned out that the cancer was much more aggressive than the doctors initially thought.
– Doctors excised and excised. (…) The operation lasted 16 hours. I felt that the part of my nose was gone. I tried not to go crazy – reported the woman in an interview with the magazine «People».
After the operation, Dotson noticed that two-thirds of her nose was gone. The woman was shocked by her appearance. – I couldn’t recognize my own face. There was just a huge hole there. I thought in my heart that it could not be fixed – she added.
Marisha underwent nasal reconstruction surgery, but she could not enjoy her new appearance for too long. It turned out that the cancer returned at the end of the year. – At first I was very sad. I was crying on the phone when the doctor told me. I was slowly starting to be really happy with how my nose was reconstructed – it was something I could live with, ‘the woman reported.
The following year, Dotson underwent several less invasive surgeries to remove cancer cells from her nose, cheeks, and under her right eye. In total, the woman underwent 49 operations, both to remove the tumor and to reconstruct her face.
She also underwent radiation therapy. At one point, she only had a 20 percent chance of survival. Then the doctors told her that she could continue the therapy or survive her last years with cancer. Although Dotson says she is happy to be alive, the treatments have changed her face.
It was really hard to see my face change. There was nothing I could do to stop it. It really upset me because it wasn’t the face I was born with, the woman adds.
The tumor is currently in remission. Although the cancer has not returned for 1,5 years, the woman struggles with frequent migraines, nosebleeds, recurrent fever and infections. Even so, she says she is determined to accept the life she has and hopes to finish school and earn a master’s degree.
Prepared on the basis of: people.com / direct.pl