Adrián Espino’s 6.6-Pound Facial Tumor Removed After Years of Pain and Isolation

One of the students had a massive facial tumor removed—measuring about the size of a basketball and weighing 6.6 pounds.

Adrián Espino, now 23, first noticed the issue when a small “bruise” appeared on his cheek at age six. As the growth expanded, he eventually became suicidal.

Local media reported that the tumor was so difficult to extract that surgeons needed to use a “hammer and chisel” during the operation.

Doctors informed his parents, Adrián Sr. and Maria, that his condition—fibrous dysplasia—had no cure, and that the tumor would continue growing for as long as he did.

Over time, the growth restricted Mr. Espino’s airways so severely that his life was at risk, making it increasingly hard for him to breathe and eat.

Since Dr. Laura Andrade Delgado removed the tumor, which weighed as much as a brick, the musician from Chihuahua, Mexico has experienced a life-changing transformation.

Mr. Espino, now appearing on the TLC series *Body Bizarre*, had been a healthy child before the condition developed.

His mother, Maria, first noticed the “bruise” on his face when he was six.
“I used to tell my husband, ‘Maybe he bumped into something, maybe he hurt himself,’” she recalled. “He was always crying and holding his face.”

His father eventually took him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, though the exact timeline of the diagnosis is unclear.

Fibrous dysplasia causes scar-like tissue to form instead of normal bone, leaving the affected bone weak, deformed, or prone to fractures.

The condition originates from a genetic mutation occurring early in pregnancy and is present from birth, although its prevalence is not well understood.

“Polyostotic” means multiple bones may be affected, though it remains uncertain whether other parts of Mr. Espino’s body are involved.

Upon delivering the diagnosis, doctors warned, “This is going to spread all over his face,” according to Adrián Sr. “This is only the beginning. There is no treatment. It will only stop once the patient stops growing.”

As the tumor expanded, the only option doctors had was to perform repeated surgeries to gradually remove it.

Despite these efforts, the tumor continued to enlarge as Mr. Espino grew older.

“I had many thoughts about ending my own life,” said Espino, who studies engineering. “I became severely depressed. I shut myself away.”

“But I always focused on two things,” he added. “My family, and my pride. I didn’t want to give up.”

“I’ve always tried to see the positive side. Everyone feels lonely sometimes, even when life is happening around them.”

He explained that breathing through his nose became impossible as the tumor pressed against the left side of his face.
“It also makes it very difficult to see with my right eye,” he said. “Everything is blurry. It feels uncomfortable.”

“Because my teeth are misaligned on that side, I can’t chew properly.”

To undergo the high-risk surgery, Mr. Espino and his father traveled 1,000 kilometers to Mexico City.

“I could end up looking like Tom Cruise, but I don’t think that’s possible, right?” Espino joked. “Still, I always hoped everything would turn out okay.”

Before the operation, Dr. Laura Andrade Delgado examined him and warned, “If we don’t treat Adrián, he won’t be able to breathe or eat, because his airways are becoming blocked.”

During surgery, Dr. Andrade removed the sections of fibrous bone obstructing his nose and mouth. Large portions of the abnormal bone were taken out piece by piece, totaling 6.6 pounds (3.3 kilograms).

Three months after the procedure, Mr. Espino is recovering impressively and adjusting to his new appearance.

He said that the hospital recovery was extremely painful, especially because of the tubes placed to rebuild his nostrils.
“Even drinking water hurt,” he recalled.

“I used to sleep sitting up, but now I can sleep normally, and my nose isn’t completely blocked.”

“I immediately felt the difference. It was almost funny—like my head wanted to move one way while my body went the other—because I had gotten used to carrying that weight.”

His father said, “I’ve been through all his surgeries with him, and this one was the hardest and probably the most painful. The recovery was more intense, more invasive, and it took longer.”

Although Mr. Espino still needs reconstructive surgery for his face, he is already looking forward to the future.

“First, I want to finish my studies and publish the book I’ve always wanted to write,” he said. “And I want to continue with my music.”