Six-year-old 'Turtle Boy' with Rare Skin Condition Operated Successfully by British Surgeon

A six-year-old Colombian boy got a new lease of life from his rare medical condition which made him suffer with a giant mole, a birth mark, covering nearly 40 per cent of his body.

Six-year-old Didier Montalvo was nick named "Turtle Boy" because of the rare condition called Congenital Melanocytic Nevus which formed a shell shape on the back of the boy.

Though the exact cause of the disease is still unknown, it is believed to be the result of a gene mutation during the development of the skin.

The birth mark had grown so big raising fears that it could become malignant.

He was successfully operated upon by a team of doctors led by the British plastic surgeon, Neil Bulstrode recently.

Bulstrode flew to the Colombian capital Bogotá to lead a team of surgeons to remove the birth mark after hearing the plight of the boy, which was broadcast by a local news channel.

Didier is back in his normal health after several stages of skin graft surgeries, according to a report in thisislondon website.

"Didier's was the worst case I had ever seen. Effectively three quarters of the circumference of his body was affected. When I saw the pictures of Didier, one of my first feelings was that if we could remove it we would significantly improve his quality of life," the website quoted Bulstrode as saying.

"Obviously he has had to go through a number of painful operations, but we feel it was worth it. It's great to see the photos of how Didier is getting on now. I'm really happy with how things have healed," he added.

Apart from the burden of his medical condition, Didier and his mother Luz were made the victims of social ostracism by the villagers as they blame the condition of Didier as the result of being conceived during an eclipse.

The villagers did not even allow the boy to get baptised or to get admitted to a school, believing that the boy has been touched by the evil forces.