A six-year-old boy in Colombia has had a mole that looked like a giant brown turtle shell growing on his back removed by a London plastic surgeon.
Didier Montalvo was dubbed "El nino tortuga" or "the turtle boy" for the bizarre birthmark, which covered 40 percent of his body.
Didier and his mother Luz had to live apart from their neighbours because they feared the boy was touched by evil forces, the UK television show Body Shock reports
As a result, the youngster has not been able to be baptised or attend school.
Moved by his plight, English surgeon Neil Bulstrode flew to Colombia to operate on Didier for free.
"Didier’s was the worst case I had ever seen," Dr Bulstrode said.
"Effectively three quarters of the circumference of his body was affected."
While Didier's condition is known as congenital melanocytic nevus, doctors do not yet know what causes the disease.
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