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'Take My Tumor': Where is Charmaine Sahadeo now? Severe Neurofibromatosis ends Trinidad woman's marriage

'Take My Tumor' doctors offer Charmaine Sahadeo a fresh chance at life after thousands of tumors on her body render her hardly able to move

CHAGUANAS, TRINIDAD: Charmaine Sahadeo has growths all over her body and has been diagnosed with NF-1 neurofibromatosis, a hereditary disorder in which tumors grow along nerves. She was covered with them all over her body, including her face, arms, and legs, and they even prevented her from walking for more than a few minutes until she contacted TLC experts at 'Take My Tumor'.

Charmaine hoped to get some treatment from professionals to improve her health in a new episode of TLC's 'Take My Tumour'.

Who is Charmaine Sahadeo on 'Take My Tumor'?

The mother-of-two was left with a "bubble-wrap" face after her second child's birth caused the growth of thousands of tumors. Charmaine, 43, has a severe type of neurofibromatosis and is covered with agonizing lumps, including three large growths that overwhelm her right leg, making it virtually impossible to stand or walk. Charmaine, from Chaguanas, Trinidad, feels her looks are to blame for the dissolution of her 18-year marriage, as well as her financial struggles as a result of employers' disgust with her disease.

She also had to deal with unpleasant comments and looks from others, with children fleeing her and some even provoking her to kill herself. Charmaine, mother to Caleb, 24, and Osiris, 19, revealed she has one of the most severe instances of neurofibromatosis in the world. Despite her critical condition, she maintains an optimistic attitude.

Charmaine has had the illness since birth, but it became significantly worse around 20 years ago. It was quite little and did not become noticeable until after the birth of her second child. Then, once he was born, it grew much worse. In total, she believes she has thousands of lumps. Her face and head alone contain maybe three thousand or more.

Her skin appears to be a bizarre bubble wrap. Charmaine is most concerned about the ones closest to her eyes. The doctors suggested they could be removed to prevent them from obscuring her vision, but she was too terrified of the damage to her sight. Regarding how outsiders react to her, Charmaine stated that she receives a lot of looks when she goes out and that many people bring her down.

She cannot allow herself to be influenced by everyone's thoughts. Some individuals say some terrible things. Some people, particularly young people, are afraid of her and run away. Someone even informed her that if they were in her position, they would commit suicide. But she's a cheerful person. At the end of the day, Charmaine does everything that a normal person would do.

Despite her cheerful attitude, her disease has a significant impact on her life. She is unable to move far or stand for extended periods due to the weight of all the growths, which causes agony. She's been out of a relationship for some years now. It's quite difficult to find someone else. Charmaine's boys are also greatly impacted by her illness. They are sometimes shy about bringing friends home.

What happened to Charmaine Sahadeo on 'Take My Tumor'?

In the latest episode of 'Take My Tumor', Charmaine talked about her condition and said, "All the bumps are getting so big. I am afraid that if I cannot breathe properly I will die. I might not even be able to reach out to someone in time to tell them." Charmaine sought help from Dr Ryan Osborne, a head and neck surgical oncologist in Los Angeles after doctors in her home country were unable to improve her deteriorating condition. Dr Osborne was committed to providing her with the necessary care and support.

"When most doctors see a patient and it’s a complex situation, they just see high risk. I see the opposite of that, which is high impact. It’s an opportunity for me to have a huge impact on that patient’s life. I went into medicine to help people. Once I make a human connection with a patient, I don't have a choice — I'm going to do the case," Dr Osborne said.

The oncologist has been practicing for over twenty years and has gained a reputation for his expertise and minimal complication rate, attracting patients from various corners of the globe seeking his services. He characterized Charmaine's situation as 'extensive' and 'unusual.'

The doctor went on to say, "She has an unusual presentation of neurofibromatosis. It's literally everywhere. I have personally never seen a patient clinically, and I have never seen one in a textbook, have it quite as bad as Charmaine. She appears to me to be a one-of-a-kind."

Dr Osborne expressed concern about the severity of her neurofibromatosis, stating that it is reaching a critical point and immediate intervention is necessary. He stated removing the numerous tumors would be a complex and lengthy process, involving multiple surgeries spanning over two months. He told Charmaine that when removing tumors, he also removes skin which increases the risk of infection.Therefore, the procedures need to be done in multiple sessions to avoid complications.

Dr Osborne explained that there would be no pain during the surgery, but significant discomfort upon waking up. He emphasized that the pain after the procedure would be so severe that even medication may not be able to fully alleviate it. Even though she was in pain, Charmaine was resolute in her decision to have surgery. The doctor and his team faced a significant obstacle before her surgery because her tumors were so extensive that they couldn't locate a vein to administer anesthesia, making it impossible to sedate her for the operation.

Charmaine chose to have local anesthesia instead of being sedated for her 13-hour surgery, allowing her to remain awake during the procedure. Dr Osborne successfully removed numerous tumors, including several large ones on her face and in her mouth, as well as a very large tumor on her leg. He performed 24 surgeries on Charmaine over 10 weeks, totaling 60 hours of operation time.

Nearly 4 weeks after the last surgery, Charmaine who returned back to Trinidad, said, "Life is 100 percent better for me. I love the way that I look now."

She further added, "Before I couldn’t see anything at all - like my face - but now you can naturally see my eyes. You can see my nose. You can see my mouth. I can see properly and most important, I can breathe much better."

In the episode, Charmaine stated that she feels 98 percent better than she did before her procedures and she smiles more now. Charmaine continued, "I feel beautiful. I really do feel beautiful now. I feel fantastic. I came back a different person. I cannot expect anything better."

Charmaine Sahadeo started a fundraiser after running out of treatment options in Trinidad

Charmaine, who has had two operations to cope with her disease, thinks she has exhausted all treatment options in Trinidad and is speaking out to seek assistance from medical specialists abroad. She cannot work since no one wants to hire her. Financially, things may get quite challenging at times.

In 2018, Charmaine begged for worldwide medical aid to remove several tumors on her face and body. Her tumors developed swiftly, and she underwent at least two procedures to remove them. Unfortunately, they grew back, and local physicians are unable to remove them. She began researching online and discovered that there were methods available, such as laser surgery, to eliminate the tumors, but only abroad.

The Associated Press, an international news organization, covered her tale, which ultimately went viral. She shared a video describing her ailment in the hopes of finding a doctor who might assist. She even started a fundraiser back in August 2018 to get the right treatment by crossing borders.

'Take My Tumor' airs on Wednesdays on TLC at 10 PM ET