Stories from the Past: Where has Mercy Ships Been?

 

Senegal - 1992, 1993

Ami and Sidate

November 1993: Siblings Ami and Sidate were Mercy Ship’s first two Senegalese patients. Dr. Bob Dyer operated and straightened their eyes, correcting their vision. Several weeks after their surgeries, Ami and Sidate’s mother, Awa, said: “Everything has changed. Sidate isn’t bullied or teased at school anymore. Several times a day he stands by a mirror, looks at himself, and bursts out laughing. I cannot thank you enough.”

The Gambia - 2002

Fami and Jamal

Spring 2002: Jonathan Crown was a long way from his home in the U.K. when he saw two faces he couldn’t forget. Fami and Jamal were beggars in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fami, then 12-years-old, had a severely disfigured head after being attacked by a hyena several years prior. Jamal had suffered from noma, a bacterial infection that attacked the skin on his face and nose. After passing ...the boys on the street, Crown returned to his hotel determined to find a way to help. Crown arranged for Fami and Jamal to travel across the whole of Africa to Banjul, The Gambia, where they could receive free surgery on the Anastasis. It’s not uncommon for Mercy Ships patients to travel a long way from home for help, but Fami and Jamal’s cross-continental trek is certainly one of the longest, thanks to a kind stranger who knew of an unusual ship

Guinea - 1992, 1998, 1999, 2012, 2013

Yaya

Yaya was born with a condition that made his bones to be very brittle. When he learned to walk, the pressure on the bones in his legs caused multiple fractures. As a result, Yaya’s legs healed twisted. By eighteen months of age, he was unable to walk at all.

After Yaya’s surgery onboard the Africa Mercy last year, he required extensive rehabilitation and recovery time to learn to walk again. As one of our longest-staying patients in the hospital, Yaya became part of our family.
Yaya is a sharp one – he never forgets a name and after just a few weeks in the hospital he knew enough English to join in (or eavesdrop on…) our conversations. He became a competitive checkers player that could chase us down on his tricycle in the hallway - in spite of the fact that he had to peddle with his hands while steering with his shoulders because his legs were in casts. As it was best described by one crew-member, “it’s like the Yaya Show around here.”
After 10 months, Yaya made a remarkable recovery and came to say goodbye on the dock in Conakry before the Africa Mercy departed Guinea. Crew-members gathered on the dock to recreate a photo taken the day Yaya came to screening to see if Mercy Ships could help.
This time he was standing.

Sierra Leone - 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011

Abdul

There’s no childhood confidence-boost quite like putting on a new pair of sneakers. Remember that first squeaky lap around your kitchen? You were faster and cooler than ever before; you were unstoppable. You could hardly wait for school on Monday.

Abdul knows the feeling.

When Mercy Ships was in Sierra Leone in 2011, Abdul had a free surgery to correct his club feet. Today he can walk normally.... He’s no longer stigmatized for his deformity. And perhaps most importantly to Abdul, he can now wear shoes.
Abdul’s surgery and new sneakers did more than just boost his confidence. They enabled him to discover his true identity. You see, it turns out that Abdul is really a superhero.

Liberia - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Harris

A chance meeting in Liberia with a Mercy Ships crew member. A journey to a strange hospital ship in the nation’s capital of Monrovia. A life changing surgery. A welcome home party.

After 13 years living behind his facial tumor, Mercy Ships was how one fisherman’s prayers were answered.

Cote d'Ivoire - 1991, 1992

Marius

Cote D’Ivoire, 1991: A devastating attack left 1-year-old Marius’ face almost unrecognizable. Marius’ father, Jules, took him to a local hospital, but they were told that reconstructive surgery would cost $4,000 – money that a farmer like Jules would never have.

Marius grew and healed, but still suffered from behind his disfigured face. After learning about Mercy Ships, Jules brought his son to Screening Day in 1991. Dr. Gary Parker examined Marius and told Jules that Mercy Ships could help – for free.

A world where parents can’t afford life-changing treatment for their children can seem far away. But in West Africa, it is closer than we think.

Ghana 1991, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2007

Abibata

Ghana, 2006: They abused her, rejected her, and threw her out. But Abibata forgave them.

Abibata’s first two pregnancies had ended in stillbirth at the home of her husband’s family. It wasn’t until two days into the third pregnancy that things got bad enough for the family to take her to a local hospital. But it was too late.

Abibata had lost the baby and in the process suffered a birth injury th...at left her incontinent called VVF. Unable to control her bladder, Abibata leaked urine all day and night. The smell was so strong that her husband sought a divorce and his family kicked her out.
A local nurse told Abibata about a ship that was coming to Accra that gave free surgeries, she says that at first, she thought it was a trick.
Abibata’s fistula was repaired, and she no longer leaks urine or smells. Through her physical improvement came an emotional healing, Abibata says she has forgiven her ex- husband and his family. She doesn’t want old wounds to keep her from starting over.
“Thank you for making me see there are good people in this world and for giving me a new life.”

Togo - 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2010, 2011

Abel

From outcast to allstar: Abel’s legs used to be severly mishappen, bending backwards at the knee. His physical deformity meant that for years he knew “only pity.” After several corrective surgeries in Togo in 2010, Abel’s legs are now straight. He can walk to school by himself. He can go to his grandfather’s farm and to market. But if you need him, he’ll be on the soccer field.

 

Edoh

All over West Africa, the need is great. On Screening Day in Lome, Togo, more than six thousand people waited in line to seek help. At the back of the line was a child named Edoh: "I remember being lifted over the heads of the crowd and being passed along to the gate,” she said. “A nurse saw me and said, 'This is the type of surgery we need to do.'" Shortly thereafter, 9-year-old Edoh had surgery to remove the massive facial tumor that had displaced her left eye. Today, she’s all smiles – it’s stories like Edoh’s that make us love looking back at the last 35 years. And as we now head into new territory, we are excited for the adventure ahead.

Benin - 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009

Genevieve's Children

Genevieve’s three children were all born with congenital cataracts. Having been blind since birth, they all relied on their mother to be their eyes. Congenital cataracts are not something we hear of often in the Western world. In West Africa, however, there are limited resources for families like Geneveive’s.

Today, three children can see their mother’s face. They can go to school. They can live a life free of unneccesary blindness.