Teen's Lifelong Dreams Restored After Getting Long-Awaited Life-Changing Surgery
- A 19-year-old had to put her dreams of pursuing her tertiary studies on hold due to a facial growth that made her life terrible
- The facial growth was not only painful, but it also took away all her confidence, and she was scared to walk in public without wearing a face mask
- Now that the growth has finally been removed after more than a year of waiting, Tshwarelo Machubeng wants to pursue a career in education
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LIMPOPO - Tshwarelo Machubeng, who is now 19 years old, told Briefly News that she had to put her dream of pursuing a tertiary qualification on ice for about two years due to a painful facial growth that kept growing and making her life terrible.
Source: Original
In an interview with Briefly News, Machubeng said that when the facial growth started, she never thought that it was something which was going to negatively affect her life and shatter her dreams in the process.
How the agony started
“The growth began as a small lump in 2023 and I used to think that it will go away by itself but it never did and instead it kept on growing. It was so painful and used to make it difficult for me neither to eat nor to sleep,” said Machubeng.
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When Machubeng realised that the growth was not fading away, she began to seek medical attention at her local clinic in Tzaneen, but she never got help, as instead she was referred to Dr C.N. Phatudi Hospital.
But since the year 2023, the young Machubeng has been in and out of Dr C.N. Phatudi Hospital, without getting any help, while the growth kept on growing, making her life worse.
Help at last
Machubeng's hopes and dreams were re-instilled last week when her agony and sufferings were finally brought to an end when she was admitted to the same hospital, and the facial growth was operated on and removed.
Her surgery was made possible by an ongoing project by the Limpopo Provincial Health Department where they take specialist doctors to rural hospitals in the province for a few days to tackle the backlog of surgeries. Machubeng was part of the Mopani district outreach which ran from the 21 to the 29 June 2025.
Speaking to Briefly News from her hospital bed in Dr C.N. Phatudi, where she is still recovering from the surgery, Machubeng said that she feels free and happy.
“I used to feel like my life was over due to the facial growth. It had taken away all my confidence, as everywhere I used to pass, people used to stare at me, and some used to make fun of me. I am so happy that the growth has finally been removed, and now I can live my life like other teenagers,” said Machubeng.
Chasing lifelong dreams
From a young age, Machubeng, who hails from Tzaneen, has always dreamt of becoming a teacher. Now, as her stumbling block has been removed, she told Briefly News that as soon as she gets discharged from the hospital, she is going apply to study for an education qualification at the University of Limpopo.
“I feel like I have been given a new lease of life, and as soon as I get discharged, I am going to apply to study at the University of Limpopo. I want to pursue my childhood dream, which is to become a teacher,” she said.
Though to this day, Machubeng does not know what the main cause behind the facial growth was, she said that she wants to use her agony as an inspiration to fellow young people that they must not give up in life, no matter the challenges they may encounter.
“I am going to study hard as I want to show my fellow young people that education should be a priority, no matter what setbacks they may encounter in their lives.
"I went through hell but I am still determined to go back to school and focus on pursuing my dreams. My message to young people is that they must not give up in life, as only God knows what lies ahead for us,” said Machubeng.
The teenage aunt, Kedibone Valencia Machubeng, told Briefly News that she is happy that her niece will no longer have to hide her face when she walks in public.
Source: Original
“Due to the growth, she never wanted to leave the house, because of the stares that people used to give her. The removal of the growth will restore her self-confidence, and for that I am happy for her as she will now be able to live her life normally, without having to hide her face,” said Valencia Machubeng.
Limpopo health MEC Dieketseng Mashego has since applauded the rural health matters project team for its commitment to restoring hope to the hopeless and most vulnerable.
According to the provincial health spokesperson, Neil Shikwambana, during the latest Mopani district outreach, several surgical procedures were performed which includes, including 35 orthopaedic, 23 ENT, 13 Maxillofacial, 14 plastic surgery, 14 paediatric and 25 urology.
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Source: Briefly News
