Not Just A Birthmark

CBS This Morning Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay offers this report on a boy with a serious vascular anomaly. size>

From a distance, C.J. Greene looks like any other five year old. But if you look carefully, you'll notice something different about him. A genetic defect caused a large growth that covers much of his face. Eventually, the growth will kill him. It causes pain that even a mother's love can't take away.

"If you would look at him in passing -- just happened to glance his way -- he'd cover his face and shy away from you," says his mother, Lesa Greene. "It hurt him so much for people to look at him."

There are 40,000 children in the United States suffering from disfiguring birthmarks. These are called vascular anomalies, and they can be quite serious.

They develop shortly after birth and are often misdiagnosed as hermangiomas -- the usually purple or port wine stained growths that disappear as children grow.

But vascular anomalies tend to get larger and cause some very serious problems for children who have them. They often cover the face, preventing adequate development and function of the eyes, nose, and mouth. The growth is not only large on the outside. It often pushes its way into the nasal passages, throat, and even up into the brain.

Lesa Greene was determined to find help for her son. But all the doctors they talked to told them there was little they could do. Until, that is, they found Dr. Milton Waner at the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Dr. Waner is the only doctor in the United States who treats children with these birth defects. He deals with both the physical and emotional impact of this problem and offers children like C.J. hope.

"He had very low self esteem," says Waner. "He knew that other children were frightened of him."

C.J.'s defect grew as he did. Now it covers his left eye, nose, and lower lip. It's pushing into his nasal passages, making it hard for C.J. to breathe, eat, or speak. Dr. Waner must perform a series of delicate operations.

"He'll look like a normal kid with a scar on his face," says Waner. He may have some puffiness here or there. But he'll certainly look a lot better than he looked in the past."

This Morning is there when C.J. went for his second -- and riskiest -- surgery. Because the growth is filled with blood vessels, C.J. could die on the operating room table from massive bleeding. But C.J.'s mother has faith.

"I've been waiting since C.J. was born to have this done," she says. "We trust in Jesus. He's going to be with us. There's not going to be any problems with this surgery."

The operation takes six hours. First, the mass is removed from C.J.'s face. Hi skin is then stretched and attached to his nose. The surgeon also gives him working eyelids.

The result: an almost complete restructuring of C.J.'s face. The operation is a success and C.J.'s future is about to change.
"You can help them in so many ways," says Waner. Not just get rid of the vascular lesion, but once you do that so many other things seem to correct themselves. The trauma that they've been through suddenly disappears. They come out of their shells. They become whole people again."

The cause of these vascular anamolies is unknown, although Dr. Waner's research suggests it is a genetic problem. Parents who spot such a birthmark on their newborn should make sure it is correctly diagnosed. A simple hermangioma will probably disappear; a vascular anomaly can be very difficult to treat.

As for C.J., five weeks after surgery, he is back home in North Carolina with his dad having fun. And he's not afraid to show off his smile.

Produced by Rob Medich