The little boy who came over from the Congo -- with a major assist from retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo -- is on the operating table right now, and by day's end, he could be tumor free.
TMZ has learned 8-year-old Matadi went into surgery Sunday at 11:30 AM PT at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. We're told the operation is expected to last around 6 hours. His family is at the hospital waiting word from doctors.
The operation is being led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.