Giant Hairball Removed From The Stomach Of A 'Bullied' 13-Year Girl

A giant hairball was found inside the stomach of a 13-year-old girl, who ended up in hospital after complaining of stomach ache. The girl's mother said she began eating her hair after being "bullied" in school.

Melissa Williams, 13, from Walton, U.K, had a hairball measuring 8-10cm in diameter removed from her stomach on Oct.1, 2021, reported Liverpool Echo. It was the size of a rugby ball.

The girl suffered from trichophagia or Rapunzel syndrome, a rare psychiatric condition where people eat their own hair.

According to Melissa's mom Jackie Williams, her daughter's unique condition was triggered by "getting really badly bullied at school for three years." The girl would get anxious she would pull out her own hair and eat it, her mother added.

"The first things we noticed were that she was feeling and being sick, had poor appetite and lost about one stone in weight. I thought she had an eating disorder because she wasn't eating. She started getting sent home from school a lot and asking not to go in because she felt sick, but because it was on the same day every week I thought it was a lesson she didn't like," said Jackie.

Though her parents took Melissa to different doctors, her condition did not improve.

Finally, Jackie took her daughter to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where they found a huge mass in her stomach, but didn't know what it was.

"They said they had never seen this before, they did an X-ray and they saw a big mass in her stomach but didn't know what it was. It was actually my neighbor that said she read something years ago about people eating their hair, and that's what it was," Jackie added.

The girl underwent surgery on Oct.1. The hairball was so heavy that the doctors had to cut it into four sections, before removing each one with two hands.

"The doctors said if we didn't take Mel in when we did she might not have pulled through the surgery. She was relieved once the pain was gone and she was so brave," Jackie said.

Melissa has now recovered after a two-week stay in hospital due to issues with her blood and excess fluid in her stomach. The child is being supported by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

According to her family, they want to raise awareness about Rapunzel syndrome.