It started as a pimple – Man’s neck tumor that made him STRUGGLE to eat, bathe

A man’s neck tumor that had been growing for nearly two decades became so large he struggled to turn his head side-to-side.

Tim, a 62-year-old from Scottsdale, had a 5.5lb tumour growing from the right side of his face and neck. 

How it Started

It all started out as ‘a little pimple by my ear,’ but now has been growing for 16 years. It became so large it began putting pressure on his ear, jaw, neck and throat.

The Miseries he Suffered

He could only eat from the left side of his mouth and would rather take his meals standing up, otherwise the growth would hit into the table and bump into his food.

The mechanic said he had to lift the tumor up and over his shoulder to turn his head while driving and the growth got in the way when he tried to maneuver under cars to service them.

All of his clothes were stretched to fit them over the growth and he often didn’t get enough sleep, having to position himself on his left side with his right elbow underneath the tumor to keep the weight from crushing his neck.

The Day He’ll Never Forget

His tumor first appeared in 2007, when he was 46. At first, he thought it was a pimple, he squeezed it to see if it would pop. When nothing happened, Tim moved on.

Dr Ryan Osborne Found Him

In a surprising and lucky twist, head and neck surgeon Dr Ryan Osborne reached out to him, So he flew to meet with the surgeon who told him about several complications that could happen in efforts to remove it but Tim wouldn’t care.

Two days later, Dr Osborne and his colleague, plastic surgeon Dr Jason Hamilton, operated on Tim’s face and neck for nearly five hours. 

Over the course of the surgery, Dr Osborne was able to identify and avoid major facial nerves. He removed the entire mass and Dr Hamilton was able to reconstruct Tim’s cheek without any concavity.

READ ALSO: Man complaining of headache has huge six-inch worm pulled out of his forehead

Another Brighter Day He’ll Never Forget

Tim woke up still able to smile and move his entire face. 

Now he said: ‘Since surgery, I feel lighter. I’ve had zero pain. It has been far easier than I expected… It feels fantastic.

‘When the tumor was there, damn that thing was ugly. It’s good that it’s gone. Sixteen years was long enough. Everywhere I go everybody’s really happy for me.’

Now, he can put shirts on properly, eat with his entire mouth, drive without lifting his tumor to turn his head and hasn’t had a headache since the morning of surgery.