A Mercy Ships Christmas Miracle: Armella’s Healing Ignites Hope
Armella’s mother, Caessah, is a housewife and mother of four whose greatest pride is her children. Her eldest live with their grandfather in the countryside, while her youngest live with her and her husband in a compound hut in the port city of Madagascar. The day of Armella’s birth was a celebratory occasion, but a growth behind her ear became a cause for concern.
“I remember when Armella's mother had contractions and was taken to the hospital,’” recounted their neighbor Pauline. “When Armella was born, she had that mass close to her ear that made her parents very worried.”
The doctor assured her parents that the mass behind Armella’s ear was fixable through surgery, but without access to safe and affordable surgical care, they worried about their daughter’s well-being.
“She might get rejected in the community, in the family, or by other people around the community,” Caessah feared. “She might get rejected a lot when she grows up.”
The Cost of Healing
As Armella grew, so did the mass behind her ear and her parents’ fears along with it. Desperate for answers but unable to afford a doctor, they turned to the church for support. Judicael, the pastor of their church, is a former Mercy Ships’ national crew who worked in the deck department during the organization’s last mission in Madagascar. With his assistance, 6-month-old Armella would finally be examined by a doctor.
“The doctor said it could not be operated on unless a scan was done,” Judicael recalled.
A computed tomography (CT) scan was only available in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, and Armella’s family couldn’t afford it. They shared photos of Armella on social media, hoping that someone would offer to pay for the scan and surgery.
“I posted the photos, but many other people also had similar conditions, so most of the people did not even care,” Judicael recalled.
Two years later, the mass grew even larger and became too heavy for little Armella to bear.
“The mass that she had was pulling on her left ear and it was causing her ear to be deformed,” volunteer maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Manjit Dhillon explained. “It was quite a sizable weight so she would posture her head to the left side and over time, as the mass would have grown, she would have struggled to keep her head upright because of the weight.”
Caessah also shared, “when people meet her, they stare at her. Children also stare at her…and they like to play with the mass.”
Surgery Onboard a Hospital Ship: Better Days Ahead
Le Africa Mercy’s arrival in Madagascar sparked hope in Armella’s home. Now, at 2 years old, her parents noticed her eagerness to learn and are planning to enroll her in school with her older brother after her surgery on the hospital ship.
“We can see that she really wants to go to school because her brother is already in school,” her mother said. “When her brother practices counting and he pronounces the word ‘la tete, la bouche’, she recites it too.”
Armella was sleeping in her mother’s arms when they arrived at their first consultation with volunteer nurses. Caessah was hopeful that when Armella slept again, she would wake up without the mass behind her ear.
“I believe that the doctors are tools, but Jesus heals,” she said before walking up the gangway of the Africa Mercy.
An Abundance of Hope
Dr. Manjit was the lead surgeon for Armella’s procedure.
“When we removed the tumor, it was 280-grams, about the weight of a large grapefruit,” said Dr. Manjit. “That's over a quarter of a kilogram for a 2-year-old, which is quite a lot of weight to carry.”
Armella’s father, Justin, sees the difference this surgery made for his daughter’s future.
“She would have been bullied and mocked by other kids. She would have had a difficult time in school if she hadn't had surgery,” he said, reflecting.
Caessah, who’s shared the weight of Armella’s mass since her birth, now feels free.
“Mercy Ships is a blessing, a light and rescue for me and my children,” she shared “When my child had that condition, I felt what she felt. When she recovered, I recovered too.”
She believes that the arrival of the Africa Mercy was an answered prayer – to free Armella from the “burden she had carried for the past two years.”
“May she experience a better life than our lives. She will have a good life!” Caessah proclaimed.
Laura Scott, American post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) team leader, witnessed Armella’s journey firsthand. Her hopes for the 2-year-old and – children like her – came alive.
“My hope for Armella, like I would have for any of my grandchildren, and for all the kids…wherever they live... that they will reach their potential, and they will make a difference in the world,” she said.
“To witness their courage to come here and have hope… it makes me think that there's always hope in life,” said Diane Tadahy, a Malagasy nursing student undertaking her surgical rotation with Mercy Ships.
“I truly thank you, God. It was entirely you who set my child free from her burdens,” she testified in tears. “I don't have much money or wealth to offer you, but today my heart truly thanks and appreciate you,” shared Caessah, overwhelmed with gratitude as she and her family returned to church with a thanksgiving message.
Would you consider joining this wave of generosity? Your gift — no matter
the size — brings us closer to children like Armella getting the care they deserve.
