Arizona man develops watermelon-sized tumor on his neck that began as a 'little ... trends now
An Arizona man's neck tumor that had been growing for nearly two decades became so large he struggled to eat, bathe and even turn his head side-to-side.
Tim, a 62-year-old from Scottsdale, had a 5.5lb tumor growing from the right side of his face and neck.
While the mass started out as 'a little pimple by my ear,' Tim said it continued to grow for 16 years, evolving from a golf ball to a tennis ball.
Eventually, it became so large it began putting pressure on his ear, jaw, neck and throat.
Because of its size, the tumor was distorting Tim's face, pulling on and stretching his ear, jaw, cheek and eye. He had a headache every day and some movements made it feel like his face was 'ripping.'
He could only eat from the left side of his mouth and had resorted to taking his meals standing up, otherwise the growth would hit into the table and bump into his food.
Tim, a 62-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, had a 5.5lb tumor growing from the right side of his face and neck
Tim often used humor as a 'security blanket' and to make people more comfortable around him and his growth
Tim was never able to get the tumor removed because he didn't have health insurance or the money to fund the surgery himself.
But when head and neck surgeon Dr Ryan Osborne reached out to him, Tim was gifted hope he could finally live a normal life.
He said on the latest episode of TLC's Take My Tumor: 'Hopefully Dr Osborne is fully capable of removing the beast. You’ve got to put your faith in somebody and… I’m giving Dr Osborne the go ahead to [do his] magic.
'At the end of the day I just want to be semi-normal and I don't often feel that way.’
Tim's tumor first appeared in 2007, when he was 46.
Thinking it was a pimple, he squeezed it to see if it would pop. When nothing happened, Tim moved on.
Then it grew to the size of a pea and he asked someone else to try and pop it. Still, nothing happened.
One day, he woke up and it was the size of a bouncy ball: ‘You look in the mirror one day and you’re like “oh, it’s gotten bigger."'
When he turned to the internet in search of answers, he said all the information added up to a sebaceous cyst, the most common type of a skin cyst.
This type of cyst is a non-painful bump under the skin that grows slowly. It is usually harmless and can appear on the face, neck, scalp, back or groin area.
The growths are fairly common and affect at least 20 percent of adults. They can form if a sebaceous gland - a microscopic gland connected to hair follicles that secretes an oily or waxy substance - become damaged or blocked.
Most of these cysts will not need treatment and should be left alone and kept clean.
Tim's growth has been weighed several times, with weights ranging from 4lbs to nearly 6lbs
The mechanic was never able to get his tumor removed because he didn't have health insurance or the money to pay for the surgery himself
However, if the growth is causing discomfort, a doctor can remove it with local anesthetic.
Over the years, Tim used humor as a defense mechanism and 'security blanket' to deal with his 'friendly little tumor' and make people feel less uncomfortable around him and his growth.
But the 4lb to 6lb mass still interfered with his life.
The mechanic said he had to lift the tumor up and over his shoulder to turn his head while driving and the growth got in the way when he tried to maneuver under cars to service them.
All of his clothes were stretched to fit them over the growth and he often didn't get enough sleep, having to position himself on his left side with his right elbow underneath the tumor to keep the weight from crushing his neck.
But with Dr Osborne's help, Tim had an opportunity to remove the growth, which a friend nicknamed 'Little Timmy.'
So he flew to meet with the surgeon, a Los Angeles-based head and neck surgical oncologist and director of the Osborne Head and Neck Institute.
While
