Able to smile again, the girl who had a 4lb tumour removed from her face after being flown to Britain for life-saving surgery

Young Chelsea fan Triny Amuhirwe is smiling again after a trip to Britain in which she had a lifesaving operation - and finally met her hero Frank Lampard.


The eight-year-old from Uganda had a two-kilogram tumour growing on her face, which would have suffocated her if it had continued to grow, so she came to London for the painstaking operation.


Her mother Sarah, 30, said: 'The growth had taken over her face and I couldn't bear to see her like that. Without help I knew she was going to die.'






Before and after: Triny when she came to London for her operation, left, and celebrating the successful surgery on Brighton beach afterwards, right




Smiling: Triny was ecstatic to meet her hero Frank Lampard with her mother Sarah




Dream come true: Triny after the 15-hour operation, thrilled to be at a Chelsea football match

Sarah said: 'When she came out of the operating room I can't tell you how happy I was - when I looked at her I couldn't believe the transformation.

Triny had lived with the rare tumour, called fibrous dysplasia, since she was four-years-old.

After a successful 15-hour surgery at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Triny met her idols up the road at Stamford Bridge, home of her beloved Chelsea FC.

She said: 'I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get to see them in person - I had only seen them on TV.'

Triny and her mother Sarah, 30, met players including Lampard, Ramires and Gary Cahill after the game against Swansea in the Capital One Cup.


The squad spent an hour and a half with Triny and her mother, chatting and taking pictures.

Triny had sat in the posh seats for the game, but Frank Lampard heard that she had been hoping to sit out with the fans.


So Lampard gave Trinny and Sarah tickets for the Chelsea versus Wigan game as a surprise, in which the London side won 4-1.

Triny, who wrote a thank you letter to the club, said: 'It was really loud and fun. It was really exciting to meet the players. Frank Lampard was very nice.'


Full of energy: After her difficult operation Triny and her mother had a once in a lifetime trip to Stamford Bridge where they met Gary Cahill


Star treatment: Triny and her mother meeting David Luiz at Stamford Bridge


The surgery was made possible by UK charity Facing the World, who flew Triny and from Uganda to the UK for treatment, where she also was excited to see Buckingham Palace and Brighton beach.


Although Triny has to face two more minor operations, she is looking forward to a bright future.


Her mother said: 'When she went in for surgery I was terrified she might die because the tumour had already covered the whole of her face.'


'Triny is now full of energy and full of life. I'm so grateful to all the doctors and the charity for the amazing work they did.'


Triny added: 'After my operation I feel really good. I can eat well and when I go home I'm looking forward to going back to school.'



Happier: Triny celebrating her successful operation on Brighton beach

The surgery would have cost a staggering £65,000 but the surgical team agreed to give their time for free.


Graham Banton, director of Facing the World, said: 'Now as a result of her surgery she has the opportunity to shape her own future and having seen how intelligent and determined she is, all of us at Facing the World know she'll make the most of it.

Each year the charity helps children with extreme facial disfigurements from all over the world.