One baby boy in Clearwater, Florida, was unexpectedly born with a rare skin condition that resulted in a huge mass on his back. James McCallum, the now 19-month-old born with the mass medically known as a giant congenital melanocytic nevus, has lovingly been given the nickname “little ninja turtle” by his parents, Tim and Kaitlyn McCallum. They say James' skin condition did not show on any fetal ultrasounds before he was born but continued to grow larger after his birth, creating their son's unique appearance.
Only 1 in 20,000 newborns worldwide are born with the skin condition, according to MedlinePlus. James has undergone multiple surgeries to have it removed since he was born and had to have anesthesia when he was only 2 months old, according to the New York Post.
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James started developing scabs and lumps on his back shortly after he was born in 2021.
In a TikTok video, James' mother Kaitlyn, said when James was born she was “so beyond happy” but that it was also “frustrating and very scary” to not have any “definitive answers” when they first learned about his condition.
Kaitlyn and Tim shared that scabs and lumps started showing up on James' back shortly after he was born and that it started to resemble a “large mole” and grew so big he was unable to sleep on his back and had to sleep on his side, per the New York Post.
The McCallums also shared that they took James to get tests done and waited for months to find out the results. “The doctors didn’t really know what it was at that point. It covered 75% of his back at the start, and it had started to get fattier and more lumpy, It seemed like it was growing,” Kaitlyn said, according to the Post.
Once doctors ruled out the possibility of internal growths, his parents started the process of having the mass removed.
Between birth and 9 months old, James had two surgeries. His mother has shared videos on her TikTok account of his progress having the nevus removed. James' rare skin condition can sometimes lead to a growth on the brain or spine, his mother explained. “One of the sub-conditions is internal growing on the brain or spine. So, at 2 1/2 months old, he had to go under anesthesia to have it done," she said, according to the Post.
Once James' parents and the doctors made sure there was no internal growth, the process to have the nevus removed began. The first of his surgeries was in February 2022, the news outlet reported. Tim and Kaitlyn connected on Facebook with others who had the condition to learn about other possible symptoms of the condition, according to the Post.
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James will have minimal scarring, and his parents think that will be better than dealing with the mass for the rest of his life.
James and his parents have been through many surgeries in his short 19 months of life, but they shared that they prefer he have scarring from surgeries rather than dealing with the mass forever so his quality of life can improve.
“Having this removed will give him the best quality of life. He’ll be able to tell a cool story about it and say it’s a shark bite or something," Kaitlyn said, according to the Post. "We will definitely take the scarring over having to deal with this any day."
According to the latest update from his parents, James is starting expansion treatment to grow new skin.
The McCallums met with a specialist in Chicago and decided to start tissue expansion treatment for James in September 2022, per the Post. Kaitlyn shared more about what the process is like for them and James.
“You can do the expansion process from home. The expanders are placed under the skin by the doctor and then we injected them with saline once a week and it slowly expands the good skin which replaces the nevus," she said.
Kaitlyn also shared a recent video update on TikTok: “It’s surgery day,” and that the family and James were “grateful for all the prayers and well wishes" they've received.
The McCallum family has a GoFundMe page for people to contribute to James' medical treatment, and more than $10,000 has been raised so far. “He’s so much happier and more comfortable, and we’ll just be happy to get all of it gone by the summer," Kaitlyn said, according to the Post.
