Mystery illness girl, 17, turning blind from mystery illness sparked when she squeezed spot on her nose

Mary Ann Regacho, 17, from Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, is now unrecognisable after the popped pimple made her face swell up last year.

At first, she thought the stubborn growth – which lasted for several weeks - was due to hormonal issues after she gave birth to a baby boy at age 16.

But, after she squeezed the spot, it started to become painful a few days later and then began spreading across her face.

Mary said it felt ''like a balloon inflating''.

Now, the lump has almost covered her face and is affecting her vision as the swelling reaches the corners of her eyes.

The young mum-of-one tried to cure the infection with herbal medicines at home but without success.

Speaking this week, she said the growth has spread across the bridge of her nose, her cheeks and forehead.

Mary said: ''I thought it was only a common pimple, but it hurt so much I could not sleep at night. I tried everything to cure it but nothing worked.

''Now, I feel like my face will never be the same again.''

Her husband, Albert Sales, works part-time in a neighbour’s farm without a steady income, so she could not afford treatment or even medicine.

After almost a year of enduring the painful mass, she went to the hospital to have it checked.

Yet, the small provincial facility did not have the proper equipment to diagnose the mysterious disease so Mary was transferred to a bigger hospital .

Unable to pay for medical bills, her worried husband has now appealed to good Samaritans for help.

In a video recorded by their family, Albert can be heard saying: ''I want to ask kind people for donations so we can finally send my wife to a hospital.

''We only earn enough for ourselves and our one-year-old baby so I can't afford her medical bills.''

The sun