The four-year-old girl in India with a tumour on her head the size of a ...

The four-year-old girl in India with a tumour on her head the size of a football

'She was a normal child but as she grew, we noticed a lump growing in the middle of her head,' explained her mother Pramila, a domestic worker. 

'At first we thought it was just a boil and would go but it only grew bigger with time.

'She would cry if I touch it or lie her down for sleep.'

But her parents could do little but wipe away her tears, as Renu could not have an operation because they did not have the money to see a doctor.

But she was saved by the kindness of strangers, who raised awareness of her plight by posting shocking pictures on social media.

Her story reached Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, who asked officials to give Renu a free operation to remove it.

The rare tumour, known as giant occipital encephalocele,  was finally cut off by a team of surgeons at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, on December 22. 

The tumour, one of only two known cases in the world, had been growing in Renu's occipital region - the part of the brain which controls sight - ever since she was born, said Dr SN Kureel.

But while it was benign, it was still dangerous. 

'If it was not operated quickly, the tumor would have grown further and eventually ruptured. If that had happened, she would have lost her life,' Dr Kureel explained.