Having to be born different is one of the most challenging aspects of human existence, and especially, having to face judgmental lot in society.
This is the story of a Rwandan teen whose saliva burns like fire, as a result of an unusual medical condition.
This has prevented him from schooling and mingling with his peers, as many are disgusted by his looks, and some have nicknamed him the ‘Kinyarwandan monster’
Like a regular pimple, a tiny lump found its way to the corners of the teen’s lips, disclosed his mother, while bringing his condition to light in an interview with Afrimax TV.
Rather than shrink over time, she said the pimple enlarged both outside and inside his mouth, causing half of his face to look odd.
The condition made him salivate excessively and his lips could no longer close up as his tongue became twisted.
It took them a fateful day, when he had bruises on his chest, to realise that his saliva could burn like fire, as it was explained he had a condition termed the Burning Mouth syndrome.
His saliva has burnt mat, clothes, his skin and even books; his mother joked that if he had not stopped schooling, he would have been known as the first person to burn down a school with saliva.
The 19-year-old dropped out at primary six to avail himself for series of surgeries to reduce his mouth. The processes have, however, been unsuccessful.
In a bid to prevent the acidic erosion from his mouth, local doctors have made for him a plate-like chin mask which is produced with high-temperature plastics.
Currently, he has been scheduled for glossectomy, a surgery to remove either all or the affected part of his tongue.
Video below: