Nothing seemed out of the ordinary before Emanuel’s fourth birthday. His parents began noticing something unusual in his left arm and leg. Upon taking Emanuel to the doctors, they were informed that he was born with a disorder called polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.

This rare condition replaces portions of bones with fibrous tissues in the human body, as explained by the Mayo Clinic. It never posed a danger to Emanuel until he grew up and turned 11 years old.

The Jackson Health Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to raising funds for cases like Emanuel’s, stated that the tumor had taken over his face and severely affected the bone structure of his upper jaw and nose.

In Cuba, the family presented the boy to several doctors who refused to take the case, deeming it too complex and fearing potential complications during surgery. This led the parents to believe that death was the only option left for Emanuel.

As mentioned earlier, it didn’t matter that the tumor was benign; it was developing so rapidly that the doctor already estimated it could break his neck. Although it didn’t, it crushed Emanuel’s windpipe.

Help from the US:

A team of missionaries witnessed Emanuel’s condition in Cuba and sought help from Dr. Robert E. Marx, chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery for the University of Miami Health System. Marx, having already heard about Emanuel’s case at a medical conference, donated his time and successfully performed the surgery.

Unfortunately, the joy stemming from the successful surgery lasted only two weeks.

“Dr. Marx won’t start waking him up tomorrow as we’d hoped,” wrote Jaynie Estrada, a missionary leading the fundraising effort, on January 18. “Looks like he needs more days to recover more. … Please continue to pray for him.”

Emanuel didn’t wake up the following morning.