Eight year old Matadi suffered cardiac arrest during surgery.
The little boy whom NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo flew to the United States from Africa has died from complications after delicate surgery to remove a facial tumor. Matatdi, an eight-year-old boy from the Congo who had a facial tumor which encompassed his entire face, was flown to Los Angeles by the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with the hope of giving the child a better life.
TMZ has been following Matadi’s story closely and shared the news of his passing solemnly. The young boy flew to Los Angeles from the Democratic Republic of Congo last week to have lifesaving surgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and suffered cardiac arrest at the end of the procedure. Matadi had a “rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia” and passed away last night at the hospital.
Through his foundation, Dikembe Mutombo met with Matadi and his family back in the Congo where the boy had been shunned because of his facial abnormality. The boy was forced to stay indoors and was not allowed to attend school in his village.
Dikembe Mutombo, who is best known for his days as a 7-foot-2-inch center for Georgetown University and various NBA teams announced the boy’s passing on his official Instagram page.
The giant in the humanitarian aid community released a statement about his time with Matadi whom he calls “vibrant and appealing.”
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Please keep little Matadi in your thoughts and prayers. He will undergo surgery on Sunday and we are hopeful for his full and complete recovery so that he can return home to his family. We are also praying for the surgical team at Osborne Head and Neck Institute as they prepare for Matadi’s surgery. @atlhawks @nbatv @houstonrockets @nbacanada @nba_africa @dikembe_mutombo_foundation_ @georgetownhoops @dofficialmutombo @nbacares @nba #themutombofamily #thesonofcongo????????drc
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Matadi’s story captured the attention of the entire country who kept tabs on the young man in the hope that he could be helped at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
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