People Ran Away When They Saw Her On The Streets, But Now? Unbelievable!

#1 A Cranial Tumor

Dorothy Anning was born in the West African country of Ghana. When she was only six-years-old, she was diagnosed with a rare cranial tumor. It grew from a bone, on the right side of her face. As she grew older, so did the tumor, causing a severe deformity that made her eye go downwards and out of the socket.

#2 Rejection

Getting out of home got more and more difficult: "I wasn't experiencing any pain," Dorothy says "The only thing I was getting was rejection. People were scared of me. Once they would see me they would start running." Her parents did all they could, they traveled to other countries in Africa and even Europe to try to get her operated, but no doctor wanted to do it. Until they recieved a call that changed their lives.

#3 The Phone Call

The call was from Children's Cross Connection International, An organization in Atlanta, US.This organization helps children with medical problems in third-world countries.In 2014, Dorothy and her parents flew to Atlanta, where her tumor was removed.

#4 A Life-Threatening Condition

The lead surgeon was Dr. Jim Robinson. He said that her condition was not only affecting her appearance, but also threatening her life: "You can see how deep it goes inside of her head and the shift and pressure in the brain. There is a cosmetic component to it, but here she's been having this growing for years leading up to this, visible, and getting bigger and bigger," he said. "She was tough as nails. She was absolutely sweet, too."

#5 A Huge Success

It wasn't easy, but the operation was a huge success. "Most of the other doctors thought it was a burden because my case was so complicated," said Anning. "[Robinson] just opened up and said, ‘I can do it, I will do it.' I am just so thankful to him." Dorothy is still in touch with Dr. Robinson, and she is studying to be a physician's assistant.

The operation gave her her life back!