Words: Alex Gore/Barcroft Pacific
Pictures: Paul Lovelace
Brave Aussie Noah Southall’s fight to overcome Proteus syndrome has given hope to others thanks to a world-first medical treatment.
With tumours growing out of control inside his body, Noah Southall was nicknamed the “Elephant Boy” as an infant and wasn’t expected to live much beyond his second birthday.
But Noah, now 7, has defied those grim predictions — and it’s all down to a world-first medical treatment. It’s also hoped the pioneering technique, which uses the drug Rapamycin, will help save the lives of others suffering from diseases such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.
Noah suffers from a disorder called Proteus syndrome, which causes uncontrolled growth of body tissue to form large tumours throughout his body.
Named after the shape-shifting god Proteus, it’s believed the original Elephant Man in the 19th century, Joseph Merrick, suffered from the same illness.
By 18 months of age, Noah was full of tumours and looked severely deformed. The growths were in his lungs and abdomen. He had trouble breathing, he couldn’t sit, stand or talk, and he had to be fed through a tube.
His parents Mark and Rosslyn were told he was unlikely to live for much longer. Noah was in constant pain and malnourished.
“The doctors told us, ‘Take him home — make him comfortable,'” recalls Rosslyn, 40. “There was no hope, and we really didn’t think he was going to survive.”
For the full story, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale July 28).
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