Moroccan woman with facial tumor gets life-changing reconstructive surgery

A Moroccan woman whose husband disowned her after a tumor left her face disfigured was given reconstruction surgery that she hopes will better her life.

“I was very damaged physically and psychologically,” Smaira Benhar, 39, told Central European News (CEN).

The mother of two had been abandoned by her husband, and faced rejection from others in her city of Casablanca. It all changed when she was approached by a pharmacist who asked to take her picture to send to a doctor, CEN reported.

“Later she said to me, ‘I am not promising you anything, but I am going to do my best to help you,’” Benhar told CEN.

The story reached Dr. Pedro Cavadas, a world-renowned surgeon in reconstructive surgery and implants at Mainses Hospital in Valencia, Spain. He diagnosed Benhar with a genetic illness and determined the tumor to be benign, CEN reported.

Benhar spent 13 months in Valencia being treated by Cavadas, which was paid for by the Adra Foundation and the Cultural Islamic Centre. He removed the tumor and fitted Behar with an ocular prosthetic implant.

“Today I am very happy. I will never forget everything they have done for me,” Benhar said at a press conference with Cavadas.

The Adra Foundation is now assisting Benhar in finding a job and house, CEN reported.