She was just eight months old when her parents decide to make the 6,000-mile trip in the ʜᴏᴘᴇ of helping their daughter.
Little Luna Tavares Fenner flew to Russia in 2019 after her parents agreed to ᴘɪᴏɴᴇᴇʀɪɴɢ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ but now ᴠɪsᴀ ɪssᴜᴇs means she has had to return home to the ⓊⓈ weeks before her final ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. She has a ʀᴀʀᴇ sᴋɪɴ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ part of her Fᴀᴄᴇ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ in ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴘɪɢᴍᴇɴᴛs. Luna’s ᴍᴀʀᴋɪɴɢ on her Fᴀᴄᴇ is ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ known as Gɪᴀɴᴛ Cᴏɴɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ Mᴇʟᴀɴᴏᴄʏᴛɪᴄ Nᴇᴠᴜs (ᴳᶜᴹᴺ), a ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏf sᴋɪɴ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ, and she had been receiving ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ in the city of Kʀᴀsɴᴏᴅᴀʀ in the Russian Federal subject of Krasnodar Krai. The ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ affects just 1.5 per cent of the world’s ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and ᴘᴜᴛs sᴜFFᴇʀᴇʀs at an ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋ of ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘɪɴɢ a ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀᴏᴜs ᴍᴇʟᴀɴᴏᴍᴀ. It took ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs six days to ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇ Luna’s ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ after her birth in March 2019.
Carol said: “I was in complete sʜᴏᴄᴋ. When Luna was first born nobody in the room knew what the ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ was. My last ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ before the birth had revealed nothing ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀl. I also receive a lot of ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ and people who tell me Luna is beautiful. When people say that she looks like the Bᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ sᴜᴘᴇʀʜᴇʀᴏ or a ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀFʟʏ that makes me happy. Luna is doing great. A lot of new discoveries… trying to walk, to dance, ᴄᴏᴘʏɪɴɢ everything I do…” Two years ago a Rᴜssɪᴀɴ sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴ contacted her parents to say he could help. But sɪɢʜᴛ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ rained down on the family as their ᴠɪsᴀ ʀᴀɴ ᴏᴜᴛ and they were Fᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ to return to the ⓊⓈ.
They been Fᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ to ᴘᴏsᴛᴘᴏɴᴇ the last ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and fly back home. They now Fᴀᴄᴇ an ᴀɢᴏɴɪsɪɴɢ wait to find out when they can go back so the child can go under the ᴋɴɪFᴇ for a final time. The girls’ mother Carol announced that they had to return home with a post she shared on her Instagram page. She said: “We had three days to buy the flight ticket and come back home because our ᴠɪsᴀ ᴇxᴘɪʀᴇᴅ yesterday. I thought we would be able to finish all the sᴜʀɢᴇʀɪᴇs, but no. Now it’s time to wait for an ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ from the Russian Consulate to go back soon. ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs stated that there is ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇxɪᴛʏ since Luna’s ɴᴇᴠᴜ shas grown into her ᴇʏᴇʙʀᴏᴡs, and they will have to be ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ.” However, they stated that the ᴅɪFFɪᴄᴜʟᴛɪᴇs are ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ and Luna will be back for Fɪɴᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇs. Luna was born in south Florida in the ⓊⓈ, with a ᴄᴏɴɢᴇɴɪᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴇʟᴀɴᴏᴄʏᴛɪᴄ ɴᴇᴠᴜs, which is a ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴛʏᴘᴇ of skin ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ. The ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ left her with a ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʙɪʀᴛʜᴍᴀʀᴋ ᴀᴄʀᴏss her Fᴀᴄᴇ which has seen her ᴅᴜʙʙᴇᴅ the ‘Bᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ’ girl. Carol had ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜsʟʏ been told by ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs in America that ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ the ᴍᴀʀᴋ would ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇ a sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴏf ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ 100 ʜɪɢʜ-ʀɪsᴋ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴs using ʟᴀsᴇʀs.
However after Luna’s story made ʜᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇs around the world, her parents were contacted by a Rᴜssɪᴀɴ sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴ who offered to ᴘᴇʀFᴏʀᴍ ᴘɪᴏɴᴇᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ using ʟᴀsᴇʀ photo ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄ ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ.
