| Fourteen-year-old Abu had a good life in the Ivory Coast. Then one day the right side of his nose began to swell. It continued to spread, disfiguring his face. It took an extreme effort to eat, drink and even breathe. A friend of Mercy Ships, Jonathan Erickson, brought Abu to a Mercy Ship in Guinea. Maxillo-facial surgeon Dr. Gary Parker and dentist Dr. Desmond Tham did the onboard operations resulting in Abu’s freedom to pursue a new life. |
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| Akodekois was seven months old when she had an onboard operation on a Mercy Ship docked in Benin. This cute child will likely never remember the surgery that removed a frontal encephalocele from her head during her first year of life. However, her thrilled family will never forget and tells everyone who will listen how Mercy Ships brought hope and healing to Akodekois. |
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| “The witch of Freetown” was what Aminata used to be called. The ameloblastoma tumor had completely eaten into her left jaw, pushed up the floor of her mouth and moved her tongue over to where it touched her cheek. It was difficult for her to speak and she drooled continuously. In spite of the incredible humiliation, she felt peaceful and happy inside because of her faith in Jesus. Then one day Mercy Ships Dr. Gary Parker removed her grapefruit-sized tumour removed and inserted a titanium jaw implant. Ten years later, Aminata is still tumor free and making a lasting difference in other people’s lives. |
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| Angelle grew up as an orphan, shuffled around from relative to relative. People thought she was cursed when the swelling on the side of her face rapidly grew to the size of a melon. After a remarkable surgery by dedicated surgeons onboard a Mercy Ship, Angelle’s life was changed forever. No longer cursed she walks with her head held high. |
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| A mutant tumour weighing more than 5 pounds caused Ce to live life as an outcast among his people in the small village of Lukele. No one loved Ce. No one touched him. No one would even come near him because of the putrid stench of the mutant tumor. Ce lived all alone. When he was 18, his uncle heard of a Mercy Ship coming to Conakry for an outreach. With heavy doses of love prayer from the Mercy Ships crew and after two surgeries onboard, the 18 year old Ce remarked: “I will never forget what you have done for me. My time on the Anastasis has changed my life forever.” |
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| Nine-year-old Edoh looked much younger due to the difficulty she had eating before Mercy Ships came to Togo. The huge growth distended the entire left side of her face pushing its way through bone. It destroyed her nose and filled her mouth. Edoh’s left eye was dragged two inches off centre and a new relentless growth threatened to block her airway completely. Dr. Parker and Dr. Luer Koeper removed the tumour and created an eye socket, a roof for her mouth and new nose. A few years later in Germany, Dr. Koeper performed another surgery to remove the stretched skin hanging uselessly. A minor surgery was done when the Mercy Ship returned to Togo seven years later. Out of deep gratitude for her life being given back to her through the love of God, Edoh looks forward to finishing school so she can be trained to become a nurse. |
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| Hugues, 24, considered his life-threatening tumour to be a curse placed on him by a voodoo priest. Its aggressiveness defeated two previous operations. After a difficult 13 hour surgery, with crew members donating 9 units of blood, Hugues regained the use of his eye. |
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| Justine lived in agony for six years with a life-threatening jaw tumour that completely disfigured her face and made life nearly impossible for her. But then a Mercy Ship came to Benin. Justine’s eyes now reflect the joy of a life restored after having two onboard operations. Additional operations will continue to improve her appearance when a Mercy Ship returns to Benin. |
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| Twenty-nine-year-old Kodjo of Togo lived with a double tumour for fifteen long years. When a Mercy Ship came to his country, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Parker removed Kodjo’s tumour. After surgery, often patients need to have new ID cards issued because local officials cannot believe the difference in how the person looks. When a Mercy Ship returns to Togo in the future, additional operations on Kodjo can be performed to give him even more of a normal look. |
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| For nearly 40 years, Malick lived with a tumour that grew out of his left jaw. Then one day, he heard about a Mercy Ship in Guinea from people in a nearby village. Malick went to Conakry and underwent his first surgery and subsequent recovery time in the ward. Afterwards, he returned to his wife, Maciami, and one-year-old daughter, Marie. They could hardly believe their eyes when they saw Malick. His entire village came to a halt to celebrate, with everyone wearing t-shirts imprinted with the words “Thanks be to God”. The following month, Malick returned to the Mercy Ship for a final operation. |
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| When Momoh was 9 months old, he had a life-saving tumour removal operation onboard a Mercy Ship in Freetown, Sierra Leone. South African Dr. Tertius Venter performed the hour and a half surgery. Before the operation, Momoh weighed 7.5 kilograms (about 16 1/2 pounds) and after the operation he weighed 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds). If the tumor hadn’t been removed, Momoh would have died. Momoh’s mother said through a translator, “It’s like I was carrying a load and somebody just took the load.” |
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| Mutala lived by himself, hiding from a world that mocked him. Seventeen years old, his tumour stretched from his left eye clear down to his stomach. But then one day, everything changed. He heard about a Mercy Ship in The Gambia and came to see if doctors could help him. Mutala’s cousin said, “Nobody ever imagined there would be a day when Mutala would receive surgery.” Today, after two onboard operations, Mutala is well on his way to a more normal life and tells everyone who will listen of the miracle that took place in his life through Mercy Ships. |
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| Patrick lived with a growing tumour for over 15 years. Doctors gave him another 5 years to live at most. Then a Mercy Ship came to Sierra Leone in 1992. Patrick received two onboard operations with a promise of additional surgery the next time the Mercy Ship returned. However, Sierra Leone underwent a lengthy civil war, prohibiting the Mercy Ship from returning until 2000. Word was received that Patrick had been killed by rebels. Imagine the joy when Patrick showed up in 2000 with a incredible story of triumph amidst tragedy. Over the next two years, Mercy Ships doctors performed the final two operations on Patrick. Today, Patrick is married with three children. He is gainfully employed and serves as an Associate Pastor of a Church in Freetown, Sierra Leone. |
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| Rejoyce’s life slowly began to slip away as a tumour not only ostracized her from her family and the rest of her village, but began to strangle her. When a Mercy Ship visited Ghana, Rejoyce gained a new lease on life after her tumor was removed during the onboard operation. |
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| Seni of Guinea suffered from fibrous dysplasis, a condition causing a massive cranial tumour which slowly distorted her right eye and forehead. She was found by a Mercy Ships team travelling through the forest region looking for people to help. Seni’s hopes soared when they explained about the doctors onboard the Mercy Ship. It was hard for her to leave her children behind and make the long trip. However, after examination, the surgeons realized her tumour could not be safely removed onboard. Halfway across the world, Mercy Ships nurse Debbie Bergey, whose mother had also suffered fibrous dysplasis, contacted the World Craniofacial Foundation in Dallas. Debbie asked if they could help Seni. Medical City Hospital agreed to provide its facilities at no charge. Dr. Kenneth Salyer and his team generously volunteered their own time to perform the 13-hour craniofacial surgery. Seni then came to the Mercy Ships International Operations Centre in east Texas to recover. Two months later, she returned joyfully to her family and village in West Africa. |
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