ed port was diagnosed at the age of 3 with neurofibromatosis type 2, which caused a growing tumor on his face. the growth of the tumor "obscured the vision in his left eye, damaged his hearing and led to the removal of part of his jawbone"; however his insurance considered the surgeries cosmetic in nature and would not provide coverage. michael murphy saw his newfound fame from his obama portraits as a platform to help ed and bring attention to his struggle. as cnn reported at the time, "he realized he could redirect the buzz aimed at his work toward a friend in need." he made a film showcasing ed's struggle, developed a website for ed, and sold his "obama nail portrait" on ebay to raise money and bring awareness to ed's desperate need for surgery.", after cnn interviewed michael and aired portions of the video he made for ed port, a surgeon reached out to ed and offered to perform the surgery at no cost to ed.