Lizzie Clark was just 13 years old when she started feeling a strange ringing sound in her left ear. Initially, the teen thought she had tinnitus due to frequent colds and flu. Although she recovered from the cold, the voice never stopped. Gradually, it began to pulsate in time with her heartbeat.

Clark says for several months; Strange noises became a part of his life. She went to doctors for her ears, nose and throat – but only got the diagnosis after undergoing a CT scan. Doctors found a lump behind her eardrum, which they said was a benign tumor.

“I was scared. I was 13 years old. I thought, ‘What kind of growth? What does this mean?'” Clark said in an interview with CBS News. “There were a lot of questions buzzing around.”

Surgery can damage hearing, half face paralyzed

Clark was then told she had facial nerve schwannoma – a rare, benign tumor that develops along the facial nerve and usually grows very slowly. While at first, she was suggested to undergo immediate surgery to remove the tumor, doctors also said that it would permanently damage her hearing and paralyze the left side of her face.

However, after meeting with another reputable doctor who believed that careful monitoring could preserve Clark’s hearing and facial function, the family decided to do so. According to experts, since facial nerve tumor Being slow growing, it is possible to wait before operating and since there were no signs of growth, this was the best possible approach.

Doctors then worked with reconstructive surgeons for a series of complex operations that could cure Clark while minimizing the risks.

nerve graft surgery

For the nerve graft surgery, doctors said they planned to connect nerves on the left side of Clark’s face to nerves on the right side. In this procedure, a wire will be placed on that side and Clark’s face will remain functional, and a subsequent surgery can also remove the tumor.

Although it was a novel approach, Clark was the first patient to undergo this technique.

Surgery and improvement in condition

clark had the first nerve graft surgery in 2021, followed by another one next year. Both procedures significantly improved Clark’s facial asymmetry and paralysis, which had become so severe that she could no longer close her left eye properly. In 2023, scans revealed that the tumor had grown and was in danger of reaching her brain stem, therefore, doctors felt there was no point in delaying the surgery any longer.

“I was not scared at all. I was ready for the tumor to come out. I had accepted the fact that I was going to lose my hearing. I was talking to my parents about possibly taking an ASL class,” she said.

Tumor removed after 22 hours of surgery

Doctors performed a 22-hour surgery that went smoothly, and operated near his ear and hearing structures to reach the tumor. Ultimately the affected area was rebuilt.

She can now hear in both her ears.

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