Mexican boy to have tumour surgery in New Mexico

An 11-year-old Mexican boy suffering from a massive tumour, who drew international attention after U.S. Homeland Security Investigations helped him get treatment in New Mexico, is scheduled to have a series of surgeries in Albuquerque to remove the large growth on his shoulder. The boy will have his first operation later this month at the University of New Mexico Hospital in what is expected to be a long road to recovery, said Kristean Alcocer, the Spanish ministry coordinator at the First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho.

We’ve been waiting for this for two years now and it’s finally going to happen.

Kristean Alcocer, the Spanish ministry coordinator at the First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho

In July 2012, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations helped in picking up the boy and his parents from a neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez — a city plagued by drug cartel violence. The boy was diagnosed with venous lymphangioma on his shoulder and told by doctors at the University of New Mexico Hospital that he must undergo a series of surgeries and treatments to remove the huge fluid buildup. Federal officials wanted to keep his identity secret because his family still lives in Ciudad Juarez.

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