Abel Russom, a 22-year-old man from Eritrea, a neighboring country of Ethiopia, was about to finish his 4th-year Animal Science program. Initially, he had focused on the study of archives, but after working with bees and poultry, he grew a fascination for Animal Science. Abel looked forward to finishing college with only one semester to go. However, a mass had been slowly growing in his abdomen, which he had initially ignored.
His appetite declined, and he lost significant weight. Finally, difficulty breathing, and a fall resulted in an emergency visit to the hospital. Physicians found “splenomegaly,” meaning enlargement of his spleen, the organ that filters his blood. As blood engorges the spleen, increasing size could lead to it bursting. He would then bleed internally and rapidly to his death. Abel required care unavailable in all of Eritrea, where he lived. So, the physicians in his homeland referred him out to Ethiopia. With transport provided by his sister (no ambulance service available), he finally came to Dr. Saha’s care at the MCM center.
Abel’s spleen continued to enlarge rapidly, leading to increased problems with eating, sleeping, walking, and, more importantly, breathing. The oncology team, led by Dr. Saha, faced a challenge in deciding on a safe and effective treatment plan. They required ongoing investigation as they proceeded with care, and with painstaking caution, the team, under Dr. Saha’s guidance, performed a splenectomy (removal of the spleen).
Despite complications of blood clots, that is, “Thrombocytopenia,” that risked blocking blood flow to other vital organs in his body, Abel survived the surgery. During recovery, his physical strength and weight gradually returned along with his emotional well-being.
A typical spleen will weigh about 0.17Kg (0.375 pounds). However, Abel’s diseased spleen had weighed 4.4kg (9.6 pounds), obstructing the space in the core of his body, confining his gut and his lungs, interfering with eating, breathing, sleeping, and walking without bowing.
A spleen could be 12 cm long, 5 cm thick, and 7 cm wide. Abel’s “splenomegaly,” one of the rarest tumors in the literature, measured 38 X 23 cm, the largest ever recorded for an enlarged spleen. In addition, part of his spleen contained “infarcted,” that is, dead tissue.
As his final diagnosis, Abel’s had “Littoral Splenic Angioma,” a rare type of tumor of the spleen. While 80% of these tumors are benign, 20% are malignant. Of note, this tumor is associated with a 25% chance of developing a second cancer involving other organs such as the colon, stomach, pancreas, and others within ten years of the diagnosis. He is the youngest patient with this type of tumor in literature. In addition, there is a second malignancy called Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, another rare variant at this age, for which the treatment is a bone marrow transplant. With the help of Samaritans Healing Hands, he is now going to India to get further investigation and management of his Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Dr. Saha’s care at the MCM hospital provided Abel with new hope of surviving and growing up in life. He feels an excellent blessing from his treatment through Dr. Saha, enabled by Samaritans Healing Hands. He now looks forward to living a long and productive life.
Abel has always been optimistic, even when it is difficult to hope. He believes his life is in the hands of God. Abel encourages his family members to find a positive outlook when faced with so much adversity. Abel knows how to walk this difficult path in life- with open eyes gazing at hope.
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“Every day do something beautiful for God- whether big or small.”
St. Mother Teresa
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