MIAMI -- A Vietnamese girl with a 17-pound facial tumor is awaiting life-saving surgery that will restore her ability to eat and speak.

Lai Thi Dao, 15, suffers from a Schwannoma tumor that has been growing since she was 3. The tumor has severely disfigured her face and kept her from attending school.

"She had been with no treatment for the last 10 years," said Dr. Jesus Gomez, who is performing the surgery. "Something that started like a small black bean at the tongue now has become this huge tumor."

Doctors at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital said the tumor, likely the largest Schwannoma tumor ever reported in the world, has grown so large that she has difficulty talking, eating and sleeping. They said it would likely cut off her throat's passageway, which could cause her to suffocate.

The tumor is scheduled to be removed in a 10-hour surgery April 29.

The International Kids Fund is trying to raise money to help pay for her surgery.

To make a tax-deductable donation, send a check or money order payable to the International Kids Fund at:

International Kids Fund
Re: Lai Thi Dao
P.O. Box 2020
Miami, FL 33101
1-877-IKF-KIDS