Man Has Huge Head Lump For 20 Years, What He Discovered After Removing It Will Terrify You
Joe Barley’s late teenage years and all of his adult life were as difficult as you can imagine. The reason was a gigantic and ungraceful lump that began to grow on the left side of his head at the age of fourteen, with no apparent cause and no medical treatment to stop its development. The lump had not stopped growing over the years, reaching the size of a tennis ball, which made it even more difficult to hide or to attempt to remove by any traditional cosmetic surgery methods. No one authorized to perform cosmetic surgery dared to plunge the scalpel into this demonic cyst.
“It is too big and the tests we have performed on you do not allow me to rule out any complications during the operation. I can’t risk it. I’m sorry,” was the usual answer that the plastic surgeons Joe had gone to in search of a solution gave him.
Seeing that it was impossible to get rid of the cyst and that trying to remove it could be dangerous to himself, Joe resigned himself to having to live with that giant ball of dough on top of his skull. He forced himself to get used to seeing his reflection in the mirror with that strange protrusion sticking out like a television antenna. However, just when he had given it all up for lost and even got used to being “the cyst man,” Joe Barley’s life would change completely. He would finally discover the whole truth that lay hidden inside that round ball of dough that had been with him for so many years.
On April 14th, 1999, at just fourteen years old, Joe Barley’s life shifted when he went to take a shower after high school basketball practice. Someone started laughing at him while pointing at his head and making fun of him.
“Hey look at his head! He’s got one little head growing on top of the other. Barley is a monster!” shouted the captain of his high school basketball team and his worst enemy, Thomas Hill.
Joe didn’t understand what everyone was laughing about until he looked in the dressing room mirror and discovered a small lump that was starting to grow on his head. It didn’t hurt to the touch; he hadn’t even realized he had it. But there it was—round and hard, growing at full speed and making him the target of all eyes in the school. From that day on, his life was never the same.
For a long time, he did not dare to leave the house without a cap on. He would not let anyone see him or touch his head under any circumstances, not even his parents who tried to help him. Joe’s mother first thought it must be a simple fatty cyst that would eventually burst or reabsorb on its own.
“If it doesn’t hurt or cause you any side effects, it can’t be something bad. Sooner or later it will go away. They always do. It’s normal at your age to get cysts or pimples, but it’s just a complicated stage of life. A couple of years from now everything will have changed and you won’t even remember that damn cyst,” said his mom, trying to cheer him up. She completely ignored the horror that her son suffered daily and made no effort to find the true origin of the lump.
“I’m doomed, mom. You’ll never get anyone to love me with this thing growing in my head. I’m deformed. I couldn’t even look in the mirror and feel good about myself. It’s terrible,” Joe would cry to his mother night after night, trying to find some comfort.
Unfortunately, Joe’s family was not exactly a traditional American family. His parents were never overly concerned with the psychological and emotional development of their only child. Joe was convinced that his birth was something totally improvised that had forced them to temporarily give up the bohemian lifestyle they loved. His parents were musicians in a jazz band and spent most of the year on the road, playing in nightclubs until dawn. Joe’s birth had cut their life short for a while, but as soon as Joe was able to go to the bathroom unassisted and make it to the school bus without supervision, his parents went back to their ways. He spent most of the year with a babysitter or the lovely old neighbor across the street.
So, when life turned its back on him again during adolescence, Joe was well aware that his parents were not going to help him solve the problem. If he wanted to overcome the complex or get rid of the lump, Joe would have to do it without help. What he didn’t realize was what he would discover in doing so.
Time passed and the lump continued to grow, although at a much slower pace. As the years went by and maturity set in, aided by weekly appointments with his psychologist, Joe began to feel more self-confident. He accepted that the lump was part of his body, just as his hands and legs were. Thus was born the “new Joe”—a confident and affable man who always wore two hats: a very elegant black top hat and a smaller felt hat to enhance the “natural beauty” of his big friend.
By the age of thirty-four, Joe managed to transform the biggest trauma of his life into a popular character. After studying journalism and working in a local newspaper office, Joe decided to become a comedian. Life had given him drama, but he always found a way to find the good side of everything through humor. He decided to take advantage of social networks to make his problem visible and break the taboo surrounding his lump. He became “The Man with Two Hats.”
“That’s a great idea, don’t you think Amy? I’ve been feeling bad about this lump for years and now everyone is laughing with me at my misfortune. It’s the most famous lump on the planet. Don’t you think it’s genius?” Joe enthusiastically repeated to his best friend and confidant, Amy.
“It’s great as long as you think so Joe, although you know how I feel about that mysterious lump of yours. The sooner you get it out of your body, the better,” replied Amy, none too enthusiastically.
Amy was convinced that this lump was malignant and should be removed before it affected his health. Joe at first believed it too, but his newfound fame through social media had given him a new outlook. He had completely forgotten his desire to get rid of the lump and have a normal head like other human beings. It was sad to admit, but Joe had been seduced by the fame and attention of his followers.
“You’ve succumbed to the power of social media. I thought that couldn’t happen to you, Joe. These people are not your friends, you know that don’t you?” his friend Amy chided him from time to time.
Joe would pretend not to hear her and quickly change the subject. But very soon, he would greatly regret not listening to her. He would soon understand that a lump can’t be good, no matter how many hats you put on it.
It all started when one quiet summer morning, Joe went to take a shower and realized something had changed. As he lathered his hair, he noticed the bump was no longer the same. Having shared his life with it for over fifteen years, he knew quickly that something very strange was going on. Frightened and with a face full of soap, Joe hurried to look in the mirror.
“It can’t be. This lump hasn’t changed in size for more than ten years. How is it possible that it’s now growing again?” he exclaimed to the mirror.
The lump had not only grown since the night before but was also slightly reddened. That day, Joe did not appear on social media, nor did he leave the house. He didn’t let his friends come to see him, not even Amy. He told his parents he was feeling a little cold and would check in in a few days. The sudden change in size had turned his world upside down.
The next morning, Joe woke up feeling like his whole body ached. He had barely slept, worrying about the lump and the possibility that it was becoming a real health problem. In fact, his main concern—which he didn’t dare say out loud—was whether his hats would still fit.
“I can always order a bigger hat and no one would notice the change,” he thought to himself as he ate breakfast, dragging out the time before checking the mirror.
But when he finally looked, he didn’t like what he saw. The lump had grown again and gone from a reddish hue to a darker purplish one. It looked as if a wound inside was bleeding and trying to work its way out. His worst nightmare had come true. Along with the new appearance, Joe began to experience dizziness, stomach pain, and a continuous headache that became more intense at night. He was terrified, but he didn’t dare tell anyone. For three weeks, he stayed in seclusion, making excuses and using old footage for his social media profiles. Finally, he realized he couldn’t hide forever.
“Joe, are you okay? You look a little strange. Are you still sick from the COVID?” Amy asked him the first time they met at an Italian restaurant.
Joe had no appetite; he had been nauseous since the night before. He had put on his hat to hide the problem, but he looked so bad it was impossible not to notice.
“It’ll be the side effects of the COVID, you know they can be very persistent. Don’t worry,” lied Joe, stuffing his mouth with ravioli to avoid further conversation.
Dinner was a mixture of awkward silences. Joe looked worse and worse, and Amy was getting frustrated.
“Joe, I think I’m going home. It’s clear you don’t feel like being here. I’ll see you some other time,” Amy said, picking up her plate.
“Wait Amy, don’t leave! Of course I want to be here with you. It’s just that I’m feeling a little sick and you know how unpleasant I can be when I’m not feeling well. Come on, sit down and have some ice cream,” Joe begged, smiling as convincingly as he could.
“Chocolate peanut ice cream, please,” Amy reluctantly accepted.
“Of course, it’s your favorite ice cream. I’d never forget it. I’ll be right back,” Joe said, getting up.
But he couldn’t get there. In the middle of the corridor, he felt a sharp stabbing in his head. The pain was unbearable, his vision blurred, and everything went black. He fell to the ground, hitting his head hard. His hat flew off, exposing the large, dark purple lump to the entire restaurant.
A great commotion was created. Amy reached his side first, but all around her, people were taking pictures and videos, focusing closely on his head. Some recognized him from social media and began to make fun of him, recording themselves next to his unconscious body.
“Everybody out! He needs space and privacy! Shame on you!” roared Amy, defending her friend.
She looked at Joe in horror. The lump was bigger than ever and looked diseased. Upon arriving at the hospital, Joe woke up and had to face reality. The doctors were perplexed. Tests revealed only slight anemia and low blood pressure—nothing that explained the sudden growth and symptoms.
“Why hasn’t the lump been removed in all these years? As risky as it may be, don’t you think it’s better to remove it and avoid taking greater risks? Doesn’t it bother you?” asked one of the doctors.
Joe was too embarrassed to explain that the lump had become his brand. However, the answer to the mystery arrived in a very unusual way: through a social media comment. One of the onlookers from the restaurant had posted a video of Joe’s exposed head. Among the hundreds of mocking comments was one that caught their attention.
“That lump is a cyst created from an impact that has left something embedded in the skin—something so small that the human eye can’t see it. I’ve seen it before, but never that size. I’m sure that by removing it, I will find the cause. It is not advisable to let those kinds of cysts remain for a long time. Please contact me as soon as possible. My name is Dr. Miriam Wallace.”
Joe read the comment many times. Determined, he made an appointment with Dr. Wallace.
“You are doing the right thing, Mr. Barley. It is evident that whatever is inside that lump has begun to affect the systemic level and is a danger to your health. Tomorrow we will know for sure and put an end to this mystery,” the doctor told him.
What the doctor discovered during the operation was a rusty iron tip. It was a tiny particle weighing barely a gram, but it was sharp and had been slowly infecting his organism for two decades.
“You don’t remember hitting your head as a teenager?” asked the doctor.
That’s when Joe remembered. When he was fourteen, he went on a school trip to an ironworks. He remembered tripping while playing with a classmate and hitting his head on a huge iron machine. It had hurt for days, and then the pain went away, and he forgot all about it.
After the surgery, Joe went back to being a normal person. He didn’t need to wear two hats to feel good about himself or look in the mirror. He closed all his social media profiles and ended his “Man with Two Hats” persona for good, recognizing that he had lost his way. It was a long journey, but he finally realized that his health and self-acceptance were worth more than any amount of online fame.
