People have been attracted by Luna Tavares-looks Fenner’s and “Batman birthmark” since she was born.
There’s a reason why she’s just started to get a lot of attention once more.
After some cutting-edge, high-tech surgery, Luna was able to get rid of her infamous birthmark. Personally, I believe you won’t be able to help but smile when you see this adorable 2-year-old daughter today…
Luna Tavares-Fenne, from Florida, is a typical two-year-old. She is a cheerful young lady who enjoys eating, laughing, and running around.
Unfortunately, Luna was born with congenital melanocytic nevus, a highly uncommon skin disorder that has obviously had an impact on both her and her family.
When Luna’s mother, Carol Fenner, gave birth to her daughter in 2019, she was “shocked.” She was stunned and terrified to see a massive black spot covering her tiny girl’s face. Luna was born with a large black mark that resembled a Batman mask and covered much of her face.
“I’m used to it now, but then I was just shocked.”
It’s simple to comprehend why Carol was so stunned. The parents’ initial joy at having a baby quickly changed into intense worry in a matter of days. She was unaware that her daughter would be born differently because there had been no abnormalities detected in her most recent ultrasound before to delivery.
The black spot wasn’t even identified by medical professionals until four days after Luna’s birth. Fenner said that Luna spent her first six days at the hospital undergoing tests.
Luna’s physicians came to the conclusion that the birthmark might pose a serious risk to Luna in the future after doing extensive investigation. The likelihood of developing skin cancer was high, therefore physicians advised a number of procedures.
Carol genuinely wanted to take her daughter’s “Batman mask” off, but doing so would need at least six surgeries. Another significant issue was that each procedure would cost about $40,000.
Mother of Luna, who was in anguish, started looking around for help. For the family, it was obviously a difficult moment.
“We saw many doctors. In an effort to get a better outcome, we traveled to Boston, Chicago, and New York,” Carol stated.
In order to prevent the potential that her daughter might be bullied, Carol tried to get the surgery completed before Luna began school. Luna and her family had to endure comments from others who, for some reason, could not accept that she looked different even when she was a tiny child.
Many parents in Carol’s circumstances may have stayed quiet and shied away from the spotlight, but the courageous mother chose to tell Luna’s story and raise awareness of her daughter’s illness. She set up an Instagram account so that others may view the family’s daily existence.
As news of Luna’s story spread internationally, doctors all around the world learned about her. One such person was a well-known Russian doctor.
Dr. Pavel Borisovich Popov, a surgeon and oncologist, caught ahold of Luna’s unique circumstance and got in touch with Carol to offer to perform a procedure not given in the US.
However, the so-called photodynamic therapy was expensive, so the family turned to the public for support. A fundraiser organized by Luna’s family raised $70,000 from others who wished to help the young girl.
“Everyone thinks I’m insane for traveling to Russia, but after doing extensive research and consulting with multiple medical professionals, I firmly believe that this is Luna’s best course of action at this time.”
Carol and Luna have been visiting Russia for the past few years to conduct tests and begin her therapy. The family has been able to go to the Krasnodar clinic despite the pandemic. Thankfully, every procedure up to now has been a success.
Dr. Pavel Borisovich Popov is also quite pleased with the outcome and thinks that Luna’s chance of developing cancer has significantly diminished.
Dr. Popov said, “We only needed six surgeries to eliminate the nevus, and we were successful in making it go away.”
“Luna has already begun to speak, and she adds, “My black spot has disappeared. “I am a princess.”
“We are letting Luna rest from the treatment she has undergone and then we will undertake the aesthetic surgeries. Later we aim to make sure Luna will not have any complexes when she comes to the age where she is concerned about her appearance,” the doctor states.
Of course, the fact that things are going well for the family is a relief. Luna has shown to be a strong young girl who has bravely undergone all of her treatments while smiling.
Although Lunas’s two years have been filled with struggle, she always has a smile for everybody she encounters.
It’s clear from recent photos of Luna that the results are spectacular. People can be very cruel, so I’m really grateful she was able to undergo the treatment.
Carol, an American citizen who is originally from Brazil, recently traveled with her family to celebrate Christmas there.
Luna will visit family in Brazil and get well before returning to Russia for more treatments the following year. Nothing except love, health, and happiness are what I want for this little princess
Little girl born with ‘Batman’ birthmark can’t close one eye after removal ops
Luna Tavares-Fenner, three, was given pioneering treatment in order to remove the birthmark which strangers cruelly remarked on.
Her parents Caroline Fenner, 37, and Thiago Tavares, 33, said they adored their “beautiful” girl.
But they said Luna had her “fair share of looks, stares, whispers and finger-pointing”, with one cruel woman calling her a “monster”.
They were also concerned about her increased risk of skin cancer, due to the type of birth mark she had.
For two years, the family travelled back and forth from the US, where they live, to Russia in order to get surgery from Dr Pavel Popov.
However, she has not been able to close her left eye for six months, even to blink.
Caroline said: “Luna’s last surgery in Russia was highly successful.
“However, it had the lasting complication that Luna is unable to close her eyes to sleep.
“We have been fundraising to raise the money to make that possible.
“We have also been selling Luna dolls which have been incredibly popular.
“My sincerest hope is that Luna recovers completely by the time she is enrolled in school and can start living a normal life.”
Luna is also unable to grow hair on her head where the doctor used the skin for graft.
The scarring on her face also needs repairs and she will need a few more surgeries before she has fully recovered.
But Luna herself is over-the-moon with the results and claims she is a “princess” now that her black spot is gone.
Luna was born with the condition congenital melanocytic nevus – a birth mark which had covered the majority of her face.
Caroline said: “I know Luna’s gonna suffer at the school. We have already had instances of children pointing at or avoiding her.
“We also receive messages like ‘you should kill your daughter because she’s this she’s that’.
“I was in a church with Luna one day and a child asked his mother what’s wrong with her face, and the mother just turned her face away and said Luna was a demon.
“It is this kind of prejudice we are trying to fight, in real life and on social media.”
It was Luna’s extra risk of skin cancer that drove her parents to seek treatment early on.
Her type of birthmark may give her an increased risk of the most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma.
Melanoma linked with these large birthmarks is difficult to treat and the survival rate is low, MedlinePlus reports. There is an earlier risk of it developing during childhood.
I know Luna’s gonna suffer at the school. We have already had instances of children pointing at or avoiding her
Caroline
Caroline said she was faced with a tough decision to bring Luna over to Russia for expensive treatment called photodynamic therapy.
But she said: “I wanted to avoid the aggressive surgeries that I was seeing with the other doctors in the US.”
Caroline and Thiago raised $69,700 (£52,800) and were then given a “miracle” anonymous donation of $60,000.
The life-changing sum allowed for their daughter’s treatment at a clinic in Krasnodar, a city close to Ukraine.
The treatment is said to work by doctors injecting an unnamed drug into a patient, which then accumulates in the birthmark and causes the tissue to die, with new and healthy skin growth beneath.
Caroline has recently written a book about the bullying her daughter has received and how it may affect children her age in the long term.
She said: “I started Luna’s Instagram page to document her journey for herself when she is older so she can see how she has grown and how beautiful she is.
“I did not realise it would reach the heights it did, but I am very grateful for the help and support we have received through social media.”
Although Luna has received her fair share of negative trolls, her story has also been a source of strength and inspiration for people around the world.
“Someone with Luna’s same condition reached out to me on Instagram,” Caroline said.
“They shared that having seen Luna’s story they had had the courage to step out of their house for the first time in four years.
