Update (December 26, 2018): The 8-year-old boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was sent to the United States for surgery by former basketball star Dikembe Mutombo has died.

Mutombo released a statement from The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in an Instagram post where he shared details of Matadi Sela Petit’s passing and thanked all of the teams involved in the procedure.

View this post on Instagram

MATADI SELA PETIT The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is sad to share the news of the passing of Matadi Sela Petit. Matadi was an 8 year old little boy with a vibrant and appealing personality. He was born in Kinshasa, DRC with a cleft lip and a facial tumor that enlarged as he grew. Matadi was sponsored by the DMF and several partners to receive surgical treatment for his tumor by Dr. Ryan Osborne, founder and Director of Head and Neck Surgery at the Osborne Head and Neck Institute in Los Angeles, CA. Matadi and his father were welcomed with open arms by Dr. Osborne, his team and the Cedars Sinai Hospital family as well as the Ronald McDonald House where he won everyone’s heart with his open and friendly attitude. During the delicate surgery, Matadi suffered a rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia. Despite the diligent efforts of his medical caregivers, Matadi did not recover and he passed away last night. We are devastated by the loss of Matadi and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends. We are comforted by the knowledge that a whole “village” adopted Matadi and joined forces to offer him treatment that was not available in the DRC and which would have given him the opportunity to have a new and different life. We thank Dr. Ryan Osborne and his team, the Cedars-Sinai Hospital medical team, the Ronald McDonald House, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, the American Embassy in Kinshasa and all those who in large and small ways embraced Matadi and his family. He was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A post shared by Dikembe Mutombo (@dofficialmutombo) on

“The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is sad to share the news of the passing of Matadi Sela Petit,” the statement read. “We are devastated by the loss of Matadi, and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends.”

NBC News reported the child died on Friday at Osborne Head and Neck Foundation at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after suffering an adverse reaction to the anesthesia provided during the procedure to remove a large tumor from his face.

“We thank Dr. Ryan Osborne and his team, the Cedars-Sinai Hospital medical team, the Ronald McDonald House, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, the American Embassy in Kinshasa and all those who in large and small ways embraced Matadi and his family. He was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Instagram caption concluded.

Original: Retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo forged an exceptional basketball legacy during his years with the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets. Since his time out of the league, he's made his mark in another realm: philanthropy.

Mutombo and his foundation are now helping Matadi, an 8-year-old from the Congo who has a large tumor on the left side of his face. He first encountered Matadi during a trip to a hospital he helped build in the Congo. On Wednesday, the two met once again at Los Angeles International Airport.  

ABC 13 reports the child is in need of lifesaving surgery. Specialists from the Osborne Head and Neck Foundation will operate free of charge so Matadi can go back to enjoying his life. 

Members of his community have shunned him because of his tumor, and he currently can't go to school because of rampant bullying. His mother has taken special precautions to protect him from others. 

"Hopefully change the life of this young man and go back to living a normal life," Mutombo said.

The former player has helped others through the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital he helped build. According to Yahoo Sports, half a million women and children received medical care from the institution.

In Matadi's case, the hospital did not have the specialists needed to help him fully. He had no other choice but to receive care from American doctors. 

"Right now, we want to improve the living condition of the people in Congo where the mortality rate is 45 for men and 47 for women," Mutombo told KABC.

 
Mutombo will take care of his family while they stay in the States. The child and his father will stay at the Ronald McDonald House for free during their stay. 

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Child with tumor on faceDikembe Mutombo