Huang Chuncai () (born 29 December 1977) is a Chinese man who became notable for being "China's Elephant man". He has an extreme case of
neurofibromatosis
Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a group of three conditions in which tumors grow in the nervous system. The three types are neurofibromatosis type I (NF1), neurofibromatosis type II
Neurofibromatosis type II (also known as MISME syndrome – multi ...
, which caused such large
tumors
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
on his
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
that they had completely distorted his features.
Born and raised in a tiny village located in the southern parts of
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
province, Huang is the eldest of three children, and was born into poverty. In addition to his parents, his family also consists of his brother, his sister and his nephew. His father earned money by selling noodles in the local market.
Huang's parents first noticed signs of his illness when he was four years old. He was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis. However, the doctors advised against removing the tumors—an operation that Huang's parents were too poor to afford anyway—because they believed it to be too dangerous and would cost him his life.
Huang's tumor continued to grow, and although he began attending school when he was eight, he eventually left four years later, as he felt alienated by the other children, who called him the "elephant man". By the time he was 31, his tumor weighed 15 kg.
Around 2007, he caught the attention of the doctors at the
Fuda Cancer Hospital in
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, who decided to try removing the tumor. In his first operation in July 2007 removed a 15 kg (33 lb.) tumor from the right side of his face, and the second one in January 2008 removed another 10 lb. (4.5 kg) of tissue from the same side.
A third operation was scheduled for late 2008, which would have removed the tumor on the left side of his face.
In the ''
BodyShock
''Body Shock'' (also: Bodyshock) is a British medical documentary series about the conditions or lives of extraordinary people. It was originally produced by redback for Channel 4 in the UK, but in September 2006, it was taken over by ArkMedia. ...
'' series, Huang was the subject of a 2008 documentary episode entitled "I Am the Elephant Man".
In 2013, another three lbs were removed from his face.
Chuncai’s surgeries were considered a success, and have helped decrease the size of his tumor to just 7 pounds. From the 25 kg tumor, 21 kg have been removed.
Chuncai reportedly had plans to earn money by helping his family sell noodles in the local market. He was expected to have two more operations, but there have been no new reports concerning further surgeries. Perhaps due to the serious risks involved, Chuncai decided not to schedule any more operations — at least for now.
As of 2017, ''Daily Star'' reported Chuncai was becoming accustomed to his appearance, and has been leading a relatively normal life after his four operations. He has also reportedly turned down offers to appear in “freak shows” in China.
See also
*
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...
References
External links
Fuda Cancer Hospital-Guangzhou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huang, Chuncai
1977 births
Chinese people with disabilities
Living people
People from Chenzhou