Mum with THOUSANDS of tumours covering her body has life-changing treatment to remove lumps from her face
Libby Huffer, 45, suffers neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes non-cancerous lumps to grow all over her body
A MUM covered head-to-toe in 6,000 tumours has undergone life-changing surgery to remove the lumps on her face.
Libby Huffer, 45, suffers from the rare condition neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic disorder that causes non-cancerous growths.
Last year, she started fundraising to pay for electrodessication - a pioneering surgery to remove the tumours and helps prevent them growing back.
Three months ago she had 1,000 lumps removed from her face and stomach.
And the op has left her skin clearer than it has been in decades, giving her the confidence to go out in public without having to face cruel taunts.
"I don't think people are staring at me as much now, I'll still get kids looking at me occasionally but there's definitely been a big difference," she said.
"For the first couple of weeks I felt a lot of burning and itching, they had to cut out a lot of the bigger tumours, but it got better.
"Now I don't have as many large tumours on my face and I feel like I've gained more confidence since the surgery."
The 45-year-old said the difference is "pretty big", adding her face and stomach are "much smoother".
MOST READ IN HEALTH
"I no longer feel the large bumps when I run my hand across them now," she added.
"And you can no longer see the larger bumps on my stomach through my clothing anymore too."
As a teenager, Libby was told she was suffering neurofibromatosis type 1.
After that first outbreak, her condition worsened when she was pregnant with her daughter Lindsey, now 23, due to hormones accelerating the tumour growth.
The mum-of-one, from Indiana, said: "I have been bullied and victimised my whole life because of the bumps all over my skin, they cover me from head-to-toe.
"In school kids would pick on me all the time, they called me lizard breath and toad."
The bullying got so bad, she changed her name from Elizabeth to Libby to avoid the painful reminder of her nickname.
She was covered in more than 5,500 tumours from her forehead to her feet and suffers chronic pain.
Libby's last hope was for specialist treatment to obliterate thousands of the tumours in a five-hour session.
Last year she braved showing her skin in public in the hope of trying to attract funding for the treatment.
"I tell children that I've been kissed by angels and they don't say anything, but most adults don't know what the condition is so I have to explain it," she said at the time.
"The tumours all over my back cause chronic pain, the nerves in my feet have a tingling sensation all the time which makes it hard to sleep, even though I'm on 13 different medications.
"They can even hurt from simple things like a hug or even if water hits them in a certain way.
"Someday it would be wonderful not to have to worry about how I look, or what clothes will hide my bumps."
Libby was diagnosed as a child with neurofibromatosis, a condition that both her mum and grandmother battled their whole lives.
Children of parents with NF have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the condition, which caused the hundreds of birthmarks on Libby's skin to develop in hard bumps.
WHAT IS NEUROFIBROMATOSIS?
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 is caused by a gene mutation and causes the growth of tumours along the nerves in the skin, brain and other parts of the body.
It affects around one to 25,000 people worldwide with varying degrees of severity.
Diana Haberkamp, executive director of Neurofibromatosis Midwest, said: "People could live with this condition if they weren't treated so badly.
"Any tumour removals even if it's only a few can make a person feel emotionally much better and happier about themselves.
"Some of our community have struggled to find work and have been told that they should be in the circus or freak show, which is horrible.
"Pain management is also one of main problems of NF, there are people who suffer due to tumours under the skin that aren't visible, which can lead to limb loss and a loss of eyesight too.
"Specialist treatment is really important as no two tumours behave the same, they can wrap themselves around the organs and it takes a lot of experience to understand them.
"We dream of a day when we find a cure, but until then we want people have a concept of NF and understand issues caused by the condition."
She added: "When I was a kid I found out I had it, it made me worry about my future and what I would look like when I grew up.
"We have a history of NF in my family, I had a lot of birthmarks and knew that inheriting the condition would lead to tumours."
Every aspect of Libby's life has been affected by the condition, from day-to-day interactions to getting jobs and even finding love.
She revealed: "After college it took two years to get decent paying jobs, it took a lot of interviews without call backs and I worried it was because of how I looked.
"I haven't had a boyfriend in eight years, guys seem scared to approach me and relationships never seem to work long term.
"I can't even go for groceries without someone saying 'what's that all over you' or pointing at me with their kids saying 'look at her'.
"I'm not contagious, I'm a human being too, all I want is to be adored and cared for like anyone else.
"I wish people would talk to me rather than stare like I'm a circus freak, it just makes me feel really uncomfortable."
After 10 failed surgeries to cut out the tumours, Libby has raised the money for electrodessication surgery that uses an electric current to kill the neurofibroma tissue in her body.
The five-hour session which costs $23,500 (£17,500) could allow her a pain-free life without the stares and taunts from people for the first time in three decades.