A baby girl was born with a giant, hippo-like nose that nearly killed her.

A British baby girl was born with a terrifyingly large mole that almost blocked her airways, nearly costing her her life. Although Zoe Mitchell was born at only 27 weeks, she was healthy and developing well.

Zoe’s family was overjoyed, but unfortunately, on her first day in the hospital, doctors discovered a red mark along the bridge of Zoe’s nose.

Initially, doctors thought it was a mark from a tight oxygen mask. But later, the red mark turned purple and grew larger.

Tests revealed that Zoe’s nasal deformity was a benign tumor formed from blood vessels under the skin. Doctors said that vascular tumors are the most common type of mole.

This tumor forms from normal cells in the blood vessels. Inside the tumor, cells multiply faster than normal, creating a mass of small blood vessels beneath the skin.

Many newborns have benign vascular tumors resembling moles. Approximately one in ten babies are born with a vascular tumor. Girls and premature babies have a higher incidence.

The tumor usually appears when newborns are about two weeks old. About 60% of babies will have these tumors on their head or neck.

Most cases of similar tumors do not require treatment unless they appear near the eyes, on the lips, or in a location that affects the airway.

The most common treatments include pain medication, growth inhibitors, laser therapy, and surgery.

The rate of growth of the vascular tumor on Zoe’s nose was so rapid that it almost completely blocked her airway.

When she was just 8 weeks old, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London had to insert a tracheostomy tube to prevent her from suffocating.

For many years afterward, the unfortunate Zoe lived with her deformed nose. Zoe endured much discrimination and curious stares from those around her.

This poor girl has gone through a nine-year journey to overcome the monstrous tumor on her nose. Now, British doctors hope that Zoe will have a normal life after undergoing reconstructive surgery on her nose using cartilage from her ear.