With a football-sized tumour engulfing the right side of his face, this 21-year-old quack leads a life of isolation in the north Indian state of Bihar.

Raja Kumar, a local quack and son of small-time farmer Ram Lakhan Pandit, suffers from a rare condition that caused the right side of his face to swell like a football in Muzaffarpur district.

According to Raja's parents, they first spotted a lump on his face when he was 5. They initially thought it to be a minor thing. But they became sceptical about its nature as the lump started to grow faster. Panicked, they took the boy to hospitals in different cities, including Patna, Delhi and Mumbai. But none of the doctors could give a proper diagnosis of his condition.

The ever-growing tumour on his face makes it difficult for Raja to perform his day-to-day activities.

He faces difficulties while eating, brushing his teeth. Raja is forced to sleep only on his left side because of the growth.

When he walks, cycles or rides a bike he feels the heaviness on the right side of his face because of the tumour, which has also left him deaf on the same side.

They have spent around Rs 3,00,000 to Rs 4,00,000 ($4200-$5600) for his check-up and treatment so far.

The family hasn't given up on hope yet. According to Raja, the hospitals are quoting amount, but none of them would guarantee a cure.
Raja, who himself works a quack prescribing homoeopathy, ayurvedic and allopathy medicine to people in his village, earns around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 ($140 - $210).

Upon hearing a story of a child, who died while being treated for a tumour on his head, Raja's father is a little apprehensive about letting go under the knife.

Raja’s life became more miserable when people started questioning his tumour, due which he is unable to concentrate on his work.

"If someone comes forward and extends a helping hand, we would be really grateful to them," says Raja.

According to reports, the tumour is caused due to abnormal cells that form lumps and grows bigger as the number of cells starts increasing.

The tumour in Raja’s tumour is a benign or non-cancerous and it can be removed without damaging any tissues.