Nagalem Haile, a young girl from a remote village in Ethiopia, was born with a small mark on her jaw that rapidly developed into a massive, life-threatening vascular malformation. The tangled network of thin-walled blood vessels grew so large that it severely impaired her ability to speak, swallow, and breathe. Doctors warned that minor trauma could trigger fatal bleeding, and without intervention she risked suffocation or starvation.

Living in a village without phones, running water, or electricity, Nagalem had no access to specialized care. Her case seemed hopeless until a U.S. embassy official on a medical mission learned of her condition and began a year-long effort to find help. Through the coordinated work of charitable organizations, including Healing the Children and the Waner Kids Foundation, Nagalem and her father, Matios Alafa Haile, were flown to New York City in June 2021 for free treatment.

At Lenox Hill Hospital, a multidisciplinary team led by renowned vascular surgeon Dr. Milton Waner and Dr. Teresa O carefully planned the complex operation. On June 23, 2021, they performed a grueling 12-hour surgery to remove approximately one pound of malformed tissue. The procedure required meticulous dissection around critical nerves and blood vessels to avoid paralysis or catastrophic blood loss. Surgeons also reshaped parts of her overgrown jawbone.

The operation was a complete success. Dr. Waner described it as “one of the most complicated procedures we’ve ever done,” rating its difficulty a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. Within weeks, the swelling began to subside, revealing Nagalem’s reconstructed face and a bright smile. Additional reconstructive procedures followed to refine the results.

Nagalem’s father expressed profound gratitude through a translator: “God bless you. Without you guys it wouldn’t be like this.” After several months of recovery and follow-up care in New York, she returned to Ethiopia with a new chance at a normal childhood — free from the constant threat that had defined her early years.

Her story highlights both the life-saving potential of specialized pediatric vascular surgery and the power of international medical collaboration to transform the future of children in underserved communities.

Sources

• Lenox Hill Hospital / Northwell Health press materials and statements from Dr. Milton Waner and Dr. Teresa O
• Reports from People, TODAY, New York Daily News, amNewYork, and CBS New York