INSIDE EDITION has the story of little Kate and the surgery that helped save her from an disfiguring hemangioma.
Imagine how upset two parents must have been when a large disfiguring bump started growing on their baby girl's forehead.
The parents, Steve and Andrea Swicord, said one-year-old Kate can't go anywhere without people making comments.
Andrea told INSIDE EDITION, “It slowly started to develop and got bigger and bigger. People think she fell. They say, 'Oh did she hurt herself.' People stop and stare. People stop what they're doing and stare at her.”
When Kate was born, her skin was flawless. But two weeks later, a reddish mark appeared, and it had been steadily growing.
Andrea said, “I don’t want people to stare at her. I don’t want her to think there's something wrong with her.”
New York vascular surgeon Dr. Milton Waner diagnosed the growth as a hemangioma, a non-cancerous vascular tumor.
He said, "It is pushing down the brow. The whole brow is being pushed down. The eyelid is being pushed down."
Besides the cosmetic issues, Dr. Waner cautions that with the hemangioma pushing down the brow, it can affect Kate’s eyesight.
He said, “In a very young child this can result in blindness.”
Surgery was the best option. Mom was permitted to carry little Kate to the O.R.
INSIDE EDITION has reported on Dr. Waner's amazing work before. Baby Bryce Jordan had a giant hemangioma on his head. Now, Bryce today is an athletic 10-year-old.
Now, it's baby Kate’s turn.
Dr. Waner said, “I've got to make sure eyebrow comes back up again.”
The goal is to remove the hemangioma in one piece. Dr. Warner sealed off the blood vessels while carefully avoiding her facial muscles.
After he removed hemangioma's out, he then stitched up the incision. Her eyebrows now seem to be in complete alignment. Baby Kate was taken to recovery at Lenox Hill Hospital where mom and dad were waiting.
It is now three months later. Kate's hair is already growing over the barely visible scar. The disfiguring growth is a distant memory. All people see now is a beautiful child.
Andrea said, “She looks amazing.”
