Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
Russian surgeons have completed the main stage of treatment on the ‘batman girl’ who was born with a birthmark that looked like the superhero’s mask on her face.
Surgeons in the Russian federal subject of Krasnodar Krai have been operating on Luna Tavares Fenner’s giant melanocytic nevus that looks like Batman’s mask for over two years.
The new site Life reported that doctors in Krasnodar had completed the sixth and likely final operation on Luna on Monday, 25th October.
Andrey Aleksutkin, director of the Krasnodar city specialized clinic for laser photodynamic therapy, told the news site Ria: “The doctors performed an operation replanting the skin and everything went as planned.”
“A bandage has now been placed on the face for the healing process. In about a week, it will become clear if this operation will be the last, and everything has turned out well.”
He added that this was the last planned full-scale operation and any operations in the future will be more pinpointed to specific areas.
Luna was born in south Florida in the United States with a congenital melanocytic nevus, which is a type of skin disorder.
Ria reports that in 2019, Krasnodar doctors came across a publication on the Internet about a girl from the United States who was born with a giant melanocytic nevus almost all over her face.
Luna’s mother Carol had previously been told by doctors in the US that removing the birthmark would require a series of very high-risk operations using lasers.
However after Luna’s story made headlines around the world, her parents were contacted by a Russian surgeon who offered them his services using laser photodynamic therapy.
They travelled to Russia and began the treatment, which has now involved six major operations on the little girl.
However, the treatment at the specialist Russian clinic hit a stumbling block when Luna’s visa expired, and she had to return to the US before undergoing her operation.
Carol announced that they had to return home with a post she shared on her Instagram page on 7th June this year, 2021.
She said, “We had three days to buy the flight ticket and come back home because our visa expired yesterday. I thought we would be able to finish all the surgeries, but no.
“Now it’s time to wait for authorization from the Russian Consulate to go back soon.”
Luna made it back to Russia and is now recovering from the operation.
It is not clear if Luna will head back to the US or remain in Russia whilst she recovers.
