A teenager with a tongue the size of a tennis ball fears going to sleep every night - in case he chokes to death on the huge organ.

Krzysztof Wegrzyn, from Grojec, Poland, was born with a haemangioma - a benign tumour in the blood vessels of his tongue.

Two attempts were made to remove the growth when he was a child but both had to be called off because of massive blood loss.

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Condition: Krzysztof’s tongue is the size of a tennis ball (CEN)

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Struggle: The teenager is hoping to have life-changing surgery on his tongue (CEN)

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Now 18, Krzysztof’s tumour has grown so large it is close to blocking off his airway and he is struggling to speak.

But despite his problems there is still a chance he could live a completely normal life.

Krzsysztof explained: “I saw a boy from Norway who underwent an operation there and he looked great. You could not see that he had ever been ill.

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Growth: Krzysztof’s condition makes it difficult for him to breathe (CEN)

"This is my biggest dream but I do not want to be disappointed.”

His family are now trying to raise £48,000 for a trip to the Zentrum Klinik fur Vasculare Maltformationen in Eberswalde, Brandenburg, Germany, where specialist doctors can remove the tumour.

If he gets the life-changing treatment, Krzsysztof said he would want to finish his studies, pass his driving test and see his dream of becoming a chef come true.

Top pic: CEN