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Paraguayan man with rare genetic disease on the road to recovery

UCI Health volunteers treat advanced case of neurofibromatosis

June 11, 2019

Enrique Galvan, a young man from Paraguay, was born with neurofibromatosis

IN THE NEWS: Enrique Galvan, a young man from Paraguay, was born with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes skin lesions. Last week, a team of UCI Health surgeons,  anesthesiologists, nurses and other staff volunteered their skills in a 10-hour operation to remove more than six pounds of tissue from his body. This week, Galvan, 27, was interviewed by several media outlets including ABC7, Telemundo and Estrella TV62 about his condition and his prognosis for the future.

Last year, while visiting Paraguay on a medical mission with IMA Helps, UCI Health trauma surgeon Dr. Cris Barrios and plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Kobayashi met Galvan. IMA Helps arranged for him to be flown to the United States for this critical surgery at the UCI Medical Center. Barrios and other UCI Health volunteers will return to Paraguay in July on another humanitarian medical mission and will remove additional tissue growths from around Galvan’s neck and right ear.

Neurofibromatosis affects one in every 30,000 people, according to Barrios.

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