A massive tumor covered the entire left side of little Sloan’s face when she was just 2 years old… Her most recent surgery finally removed it, giving her a new chance at life. Witness how courage, family support, and expert medical care transformed everything.
Because of its enormous size, the tumor was negatively affecting the nerves and muscles in Sloan’s face.
After undergoing the latest procedure to remove the large, disfiguring mass on the left side of her face, the little girl was finally able to return home to Montana, where she was born.
Joe and Jennifer McGillis came back from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where their daughter Sloan had been receiving the treatments she desperately needed.
At birth, doctors diagnosed Sloan with a hemangioma.
Even though the tumor wasn’t cancerous, its exceptional size was already impacting the nerves and facial muscles of the little girl.
Recalling the moment she first saw her baby with the tumor, Jennifer told Inside Edition:
“They handed her to me. It was the first time I saw her… and I was completely shocked.”
Her husband Joe shared the same reaction:
“For a minute, I was terrified.”
More recently, the family traveled back to New York so their two-year-old daughter could undergo her ninth and tenth surgeries.
Thanks to the latest procedure, part of the scarring on her face was also removed.
The surgeries were performed by Dr. Milton Waner of the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York, a recognized expert in malformations and hemangiomas.
Inside Edition had previously followed the family when they first met Dr. Waner before a surgery performed when Sloan was just ten months old. At that time, he had precisely mapped the nerves and muscles in Sloan’s face to avoid damaging them during the five-hour operation.
“We removed most of the tumor, and the nerve wasn’t damaged. The muscle that controls the smile wasn’t touched,” he said after the procedure.
When Sloan left the hospital to return home and recover, Jennifer said:
“For such a tiny baby, she handles all of this in the most incredible way. She’s afraid of nothing.”
Inside Edition has been following Sloan’s progress for more than a year.
During a trip to New York after a surgery at 14 months old, the family had the chance to meet ESPN host Hannah Storm — a very special moment for them.
“I was born with a birthmark on my face, a port-wine stain. Even today, without makeup, it looks like a black eye,” Storm explained.
She also founded an organization to help families like Sloan’s financially.
Jennifer describes her daughter as a “miracle” and says how grateful she is that Sloan now “has a chance at a better life.”
