Baby Girl Born With a Massive Facial Tumor Undergoes 10 Surgeries to Rebuild Her Face

When Jennifer McGillis held her newborn daughter Sloan for the first time, she was confronted with something she had never expected. A large vascular tumor covered much of the left side of her baby’s face, dramatically changing her appearance.

Doctors diagnosed Sloan with a hemangioma, a noncancerous growth made up of abnormal blood vessels.

But this was no ordinary birthmark. The tumor was so extensive that it affected the delicate muscles and nerves responsible for her facial expressions.

A Frightening Discovery at Birth

For Jennifer and her husband Joe, the first moments after Sloan’s arrival were filled with shock and uncertainty.

The size and location of the growth made her condition particularly complicated.

Although hemangiomas are generally benign, severe cases can interfere with normal development and require specialized treatment.

Sloan’s parents knew their daughter needed expert medical attention, but they could not have imagined how long her journey would become.

A Family Travels Across the Country for Help

The McGillis family, from Montana, eventually traveled to New York City to seek treatment from Dr. Milton Waner at the Vascular Birthmark Institute.

Dr. Waner specialized in complex hemangiomas and vascular malformations.

Removing Sloan’s tumor presented an extraordinary surgical challenge because important facial nerves and muscles were involved.

Damaging those structures could permanently affect her ability to smile and make facial expressions.

A Delicate Five-Hour Operation

Before one of Sloan’s major procedures, performed when she was approximately 10 months old, her surgeon carefully mapped the position of her facial nerves and muscles.

The operation lasted approximately five hours.

Afterward, Dr. Waner reported that most of the tumor had been removed while preserving the facial nerve and the muscle responsible for smiling.

For Jennifer and Joe, the news brought enormous relief.

But Sloan’s treatment journey was far from over.

Ten Operations Before Her Third Birthday

Over the following months, Sloan underwent additional procedures to address the remaining tumor and improve the affected facial tissues.

By February 2017, she had undergone her ninth and tenth operations at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

The final procedure focused on improving the scarring left by her earlier surgeries.

Throughout the difficult process, her parents continued supporting their little girl as she recovered from each operation.

Her mother described how remarkably well Sloan handled the medical procedures despite being so young.

A Little Girl Finally Gets a New Beginning

After more than a year of following Sloan’s medical journey, Inside Edition documented the dramatic changes in her appearance.

Her family’s experience also attracted the attention of television journalist Hannah Storm, whose foundation provided financial assistance to families facing similar medical challenges.

For Jennifer, the transformation represented much more than the removal of a visible tumor.

Her daughter had received treatment that helped protect important facial functions while giving her the opportunity to continue growing and developing.

Sloan’s journey is a reminder that behind every unusual medical photograph is a child, a family and an often extraordinary story of care and perseverance.

Source: Inside Edition, February 14–15, 2017. Baby Girl With Giant Facial Tumor Has Multiple Surgeries to Remove It — See the Transformation.