He has an extreme case of neurofibromatosis, which caused such large tumors on his face that they had completely distorted his features.
However, the doctors advised against removing the tumors—an operation that Huang's parents were too poor to afford anyway—because they believed it to be too dangerous and would cost him his life.
Huang's tumor continued to grow, and although he began attending school when he was eight, he eventually left four years later, as he felt alienated by the other children, who called him the "elephant man".
[1] Around 2007, he caught the attention of the doctors at the Fuda Cancer Hospital in Guangzhou, who decided to try removing the tumor.
[7] Chuncai reportedly had plans to earn money by helping his family sell noodles in the local market.