Isabelle’s Journey
Isabelle lives in a small village in the mountains of Northern Madagascar. There is no doctor or medical clinic nearby, so when Isabelle’s face began to hurt and swell a year ago, there was no one to turn to for help. “I had a toothache, and I thought it was my tooth swelling. But it kept getting bigger and bigger, and it didn’t stop” she recalls.
The side of her face become more and more disfigured, and eventually a large lump formed on her right cheek. Then her life began to change.
Isabelle was banned from school when her teacher told her “You cannot come here because of your face.” She was made an outcast by others in her village, who would call to her “Don’t come near! I don’t want your disease!”
Isabelle was living in fear and pain every day, remembering “I was afraid and was praying to God asking, ‘What is this problem? Why is it growing?”
Each evening in their small mud-and-thatch hut, Isabelle’s family roll their sleeping mats out on the hard-packed earth floor. They huddle together and listen to radio broadcasts – a lifeline for an isolated community. One night Isabelle heard something on the radio that changed her life. She recounts “It said those who have diseases, Mercy Ships is doing free surgery. Don’t hesitate to come.”
As her father was away and her mother had just given birth to a baby girl, Isabelle and her older brother set off for the Mercy Ships patient screening. The siblings walked for two days on the muddy road, stopping at villages for food, water and shelter along the way.
The long journey was worth their effort. The rapidly growing tumor on Isabelle’s face was examined at the patient screening location, and she was given a date to arrive at the Mercy ship for free surgery to remove the tumor. This time, her big sister accompanied her as she traveled from the middle of the island down to the coast. Isabelle caught her first glimpse of the ocean and the hospital ship that would change her life.
The visible swelling was only one third of the tumor. The hidden part of the growth relentlessly pushed up behind her eye, back into her cranial cavity, and was embedded down in the right side of her upper jaw. Isabelle and her family were unaware that without specialized surgery her expanding facial deformity could eventually make Isabelle blind in one eye.
A month after she was first examined, Isabelle received her free surgery. Maxillofacial specialist and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gary Parker, and another surgeon, Dr Leo Chen, performed a series of complex procedures that removed the tumor and every piece of bone that it had begun to devour. They then used bone and muscle grafts to carefully reconstruct her face, cheekbone and eye socket, rebuild the right half of her upper jaw, and remodel the side of her nose. They also transferred muscle to restore her cheek and complete her nose.
Just two weeks after surgery, Isabelle was ready to go home. She returned to her village with stories of the ocean, having her fingernails painted, and her picture taken for the first time. With the source of her pain and suffering gone, Isabelle is now back at school, welcomed by her friends and community.
THE MSC FOUNDATION, THE MSC GROUP AND MERCY SHIPS INTERNATIONAL JOIN FORCES TO BUILD A NEW HOSPITAL SHIP
The new purpose-built hospital ship will expand the impact of Mercy Ships’ life-changing surgeries, anaesthetic care and surgical education for future generations of patients and healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Woman Who Forged Her Way Through Walls: Florence Bangura’s Story
Florence’s journey from oldest to newest Mercy Ship came full circle when she met the Global Mercy™ in 2023, the same year that the purpose-built hospital ship began welcoming its patients on board. Today, you can find Florence, now 49 years old, down in the engine room as a hotel engineering assistant.
Transforming Sierra Leone’s Healthcare: A Vision for Safe and Affordable Surgery
As experts from the surgical and healthcare world gather for the 64th Annual Conference and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Surgeons in Sierra Leone this week, a profound dedication to advancing surgical knowledge and practice in the region is palpable. At the forefront of discussions lies the conference’s pivotal theme: access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthetic care in West Africa. This theme highlights the pressing need to address disparities in healthcare capabilities and capacities across the region, especially the critical importance of equitable access to quality surgical interventions.
The Africa Mercy Arrives in Madagascar to Bring Hope and Healing Anew
Freshly refitted hospital ship, the upgraded Africa Mercy® has arrived at the island nation to build on the charity’s longstanding collaboration and will provide specialized surgeries in various fields, including maxillofacial and ear nose and throat, general, pediatric specialized general, pediatric orthopedic, cataract surgery, and reconstructive plastics.
Reuniting with Vanya, Years After Surgery
In 2015, in an operating room on board the Africa Mercy while docked in Madagascar, the course of Vanya’s life changed.
Years have now passed since Vanya’s journey toward healing. In the time since, her improved ability to walk allowed her to return to school, where she loved studying environmental science and learning about the world around her.
Christmas-Thank You Message from Darryl Anderson
Darryl Anderson shares his thank you message after Christmas to express his gratitude for your support and dedication to our mission.
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