By Vanessa Chalmers Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 12:17 GMT, 14 March 2019 | Updated: 13:17 GMT, 14 March 2019
View
comments
A grandmother claims she isn't bothered by a 'heavy' tumour engulfing one side of her face.
Aline Cerqueria Leite, from Três Rios, Brazil, has neurofibromatosis, an incurable inherited condition which caused the tumour.
The mother-of-three recently found out the mass has spread to her spread to her eyes, nose and the back of her mouth.
She has had many small operations over the years to manage the growth, but now, doctors have said surgery is too risky and could rob her of her eyesight.
NF1 affects one in 3,000 people in the UK and 100,000 people in the US to some extent, causing a variety of disabilities, skin changes and growths.
Aline Cerqueria Leite from Três Rios, Brazil, has Neurofibromatosis, an incurable inherited condition which has caused a large tumour to grow on the left side of her face
The grandmother remains unbothered by the 'heavy' tumour which is currently inoperable
The tumour has been slowly distorting Ms Cerqueria Leite's face since she was three years old, being managed by minor surgeries over the years
Ms Cerqueria Leite's tumour is known as a plexiform neurofibroma, a complex mass of connective tissue that has grown along the nerves in her face.
The tumour has been slowly distorting Ms Cerqueria Leite's face since she was three years old.
She said: 'The syndrome makes my face a bit heavy but the rest is okay, not bad. It doesn't bother me much.
'My face was much bigger. In total I underwent 14 surgeries. The last one