A boy who had his lips, an ear, and finger ripped off by a pack of chimpanzees is preparing to undergo a rare facial surgery.
Eight-year-old Dunia Sibomana, who lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the attack occurred, is hopeful the procedure will allow him to regain the ability to eat, swallow, and talk.
Dunia was the lone survivor of an attack that occurred two years ago, which killed his four-year-old brother and his cousin.
He was lucky to survive, but he was left with shocking scars, no lips, and was forced to leave school due to the teasing and torment of bullies.
But with the help of doctors, Dunia is hopeful he’ll be able to return to classes soon.
The first of three major operations is scheduled to take place on Monday at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York, and is expected to last about eight hours.
Doctors will attempt to use tissue and muscle from his forearm to recreate both his top and bottom lips.
“As you can imagine, not having any lips, the food can just come right out,” said Dr. Leon Klempner, an associate professor of dentistry at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, told NBC News.
“He drools all the time and can’t pronounce different words.”
Dr. Alexander Dagum, the hospital’s chief of plastic surgery said he believes this type of surgery has been documented only three other times.
Smile Rescue Fund for Kids, a charitable foundation, footed the travel bill to bring Dunia to the U.S. and the doctors conducting the surgery have donated their time.
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