Sponsored Congolese boy having tumor removed goes into Cardiac arrest

Source: Tom Williams / Getty

Congolese Boy Goes Into Cardiac Arrest During Tumor-Removal Surgery

Last week we reported that NBA great Dikembe Mutombo had sponsored a young boy from his homeland of The Congo to get a massive tumor removed from the side of his face here in America. Unfortunately, things went a bit awry during the procedure.

According to TMZ, 8-year-old Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was immediately transferred to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. We’ve learned that he is now stable and recovering.

What we are currently unsure of is whether or not the doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor prior to Matadi going in to arrest. Based on how long he was in surgery, they should have been pretty close, but no details have been reveal as of yet.

Matadi’s tumor was very life-threatening and seriously disrupted his life. He was removed from school because he was constantly harassed about the grapefruit-sized growth on his face.

We pray that he recovers and is able to go about life unbothered.