Life-altering surgeries for Moroccan teen with facial anomaly

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Zoubir Lahdodi, 18, is far from his home in Morocco, and far from a normal teen. He was born with a facial anomaly called a venous malformation that was a ticking time bomb. If punctured he could have lost a fatal amount of blood in 45 seconds.

As his disfigurement grew, no surgeon in Morocco could help. His family emailed Dr. Milton Waner at Lenox Hill Hospital, which flew Zoubir to New York, and conducted 7 painstaking surgeries over the next 8 months.

At a public event in New York, Zoubir said he feels like he has been born and that his life has just begun. His mother at times quietly wept as she watched on.

Zoubir's family is of modest means, so Lenox Hill hospital picked up the entire tab, from airfare to room and board to a parting gift: a BMX bike for the aspiring stunt rider.

Zoubir gets to go home for the holidays, but he will return for surgeries that will make him look even better.