Hawa's Story

With only a month to go operating here in Ghana, we are filling the ward with secondary procedures - basically second surgeries for those operations that were more complicated in the beginning of the outreach, so it has been great to see some of the patients we looked after at the begining come back - they are so changed, both inside and out - many with a new found confidence that makes your spine tingle - it is wonderful to get to know these patients and see them months after surgery. I really am very lucky to be here!



Our VVF surgeon Steve Arrowsmith is back on board, and the ward is full up with patients waiting to have their years of leaking urine fixed! We have done a number of successful repairs to date, and dress ceremonies are happening every week.

This week I thought I would share a really wonderfull story about a little girl who came to visit the ship when it was in Liberia. Liberia is the worlds poorest nation, so we will have our work cut out for us when we arrive in to Monrovia's port on the first of March.

Here is Hawa's Story.....

Seven-year-old Hawa’s benign tumor started growing about a year ago. Her family is from Sierra Leone. Her father Hassan looks for small diamonds, struggling to make a living. As he’s spent more time lately protect­ing his sick child from those who taunt and would harm her, life has been increasingly difficult for the family. They sometimes go days without eating.



Hassan took his child to the hospital in Freetown, where doctors told him there was little hope. There was nothing they could do. She needed a sur­geon. Even though it looked like his little girl would die, Hassan heard of the Mercy Ship’s arrival in neighboring Liberia, and decided to make the difficult 2 day trip to visit the ship. It was his last hope for Hawa.



I first met Hawa at Saturday’s patient screening. There was something differ­ent about her - a boldness, a fearlessness. She held her head high, and stared at the camera. Wondering how she was able to eat, I learned by watching as she cocked her head back unnaturally, opening her mouth. A small space ap­peared between the tumor and her lower lip.

Chief surgeon Dr. Gary Parker was concerned Hawa wouldn’t be strong enough for the surgery - concerns that vanished when he saw her playing bas­ketball on deck with one of the kids from the ship. She sank 5 in a row.



Six months later Hawa is at home and going to school in Sierra Leone. A crew member is sponsoring her education. Isn't that the coolest story! Over my seven months on board the Anastasis so far I have seen so many stories like this. Along with Peace and Bawa, and too many other patients to name, Hawa has until this operation lived her seven years with more than we could ever imagine in the west. Although she and the others were able to have operations on board the Anastasis, there are hundreds, maybe thousands that are not. The help we can offer is really just a drop in the ocean.



The question is what can we do about it? I can use my nursing skills, but I feel that the other most important job I have here is alerting others to the plight of the millions of people that live outside of our comfortable western surroundings.

Proverbs 31:8. [Commandment to kings.] Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.