Man's keloid scarring growing over 75 percent of body but insurance won't cover surgery
FOX 2 - "It’s hard to even get people to understand what I’m dealing with," said Davontae Stewart.
But when Davontae reveals the massive bulging keloid scars that have spread over the majority of his body - they start to understand. The pictures in this story might be hard to look at for some.
Davontae says the scarring started off small, when he was 7 years old.
"Me being a kid, I scratched the chickenpox off and I woke up the next morning, and I had little bubbles over my whole body," he said.
A Detroit doctor convinced Davontae's mother they should have the small scars surgically removed all at once, which they quickly learned was a big mistake.
"It didn’t work and they all came back – in stitch form and they have been getting bigger over time," he said.
And Devontae says showing pictures and videos how the raised, dense scars have been growing and now merging ever since.
"It’s spiraling out of control, it is already over 75 percent of my body already," he said. "And it is continuing to grow and I am scared for my life."
The Detroit man had worked as a certified nursing assistant but because of the keloids that limit his mobility - the 29-year-old says his nursing home job became too strenuous.
He recently moved with his wife and two young kids to attend the Universal Technical Institute in Illinois to become a Diesel mechanic but had to quit because of the physical work.
Davontae has sought help from the New York Office of Dr. Michael Jones - one of the leading cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons in the country - who is known for his radiation treatment of keloids.
"I showed her and she said she told me they could help me," he said.
The doctor told him it was 90 percent effective - unfortunately, the procedure that impacts the cells is considered cosmetic and insurance won't cover it.
A GoFundMe account has been started to help raise the funds for the procedures - expected to cost thousands of dollars - but at this point Davontae says - it's his only hope.
"I am just scared of all of it – it is not that I just have keloids," he said. "I have keloids and they are continuing to grow."
The link for his GoFundMe is HERE, Davontae said any help would be appreciated.
