Colombian Didier Montalvo is known as the “turtle-shell boy” or “turtle ninja” not because he likes turtles but because of a huge birthmark that looks like a turtle’s shell growing on his back.

Didier Montalvo , 6 years old, was diagnosed with a rare disease called Congenital Melanocytic Nevus – a type of cancer. This is a disease that can very easily turn malignant. The boy was born with a dark pigment that made the birthmark on his back the size of a turtle shell and weighed 4.9kg. Not only that, it also causes painful itching and affects my confidence a lot.

The 4.9kg “turtle shell” is caused by a rare disease.

Didier’s parents  had difficulty bathing and taking care of him.

When he was born, doctors thought the boy could not live. But under the care and love of his parents, he was able to survive again, and the “turtle shell” on his back also grew bigger and bigger.
Due to the lack of money for surgery, Didier had to live in shame and humiliation for many years. Only parents are the only people next to Didier to take care of . The boy was considered a bad omen by the villagers , so they did not allow him to go to school and be baptized, and no children dared to play with him.

The boy was considered a bad omen by the villagers because of his weird back.

Fortunately, the miracle happened to Didier and his family. After hearing about the boy’s “turtle shell”, Mr. Bulstrode – a famous plastic surgeon who  personally flew to Colombia and took him back to England for treatment. He wished that he and his associates would bring a meaningful life to the boy.

Portrait of the good doctor  Bulstrode .

Regarding the boy’s condition, Dr. Bulstrode , although he has performed many operations on children with similar congenital anomalies, he is still amazed by this case:  ” Didier is the worst case scenario. that I’ve seen because of the size of the wound.”

“Three-quarters of the boy’s body was affected. Often other cases are thinner, making it easier to treat.”

And like a miracle, the surgery successfully removed the eight-year-old turtle shell on the boy. Dr. Bulstrode also applied other skin to the boy’s back to cover it. He said he was emotional when he saw the pictures of Didier recovering and was overjoyed to see her well.

The surgery was a success and  Diedier ‘s back was healed.

Now, boy Didier is living happily with his parents with his new back intact, he can comfortably study, play with friends without having to worry about previous objections. Hope that smile on your lips will always be like that, baby!

Hope the bright smile is always on the boy’s lips.