Courage and Love for Zafiline

Reblogged from "Into the Deep" . . .

It is early April and the Africa Mercy operating rooms are in their home stretch with less than six weeks of surgeries left on the calendar. The lives of hundreds of people have been changed. Limbs have become straight, tumors have been removed, years of ridicule have been washed away.

And then there’s Zafiline who actually looked younger a couple of days after her surgery. I cannot imagine how anyone can rest properly with a tumor so large growing out of their jaw.

Here’s Zafiline’s story of courage and love as I tell it for the Mercy Ships markets:

It’s all in her eyes . . . Zafiline’s triumphant story of courage and love.

But, when we first met the 26-year-old woman, her eyes told a much different story – a story of suffering, hopelessness and heartbreak.  

When Zafiline was 20 years old, her problem began as a simple abscessed tooth. She couldn’t afford dental care, and a tumor began to develop at the site of the infected tooth. She went to a local doctor and was heartbroken to find that the only answer lay in a surgery she could never afford. She sought help from traditional healers, but their medicinal oils did not help.

The tumor in Zafiline’s jaw continued to grow, becoming a mass the size of two softballs. It was not malignant, but its large size made sleeping and eating more and more difficult. If she didn’t receive help, it would eventually kill her.

The situation looked hopeless, and her dreams for the future seemed impossible. Zafiline feared that she would never have a chance to fall in love and have a family of her own.

A radio announcement changed everything. A hospital ship from Mercy Ships was in Madagascar. Volunteer surgeons could remove tumors like hers – for free! All she had to do was make the journey, which would take four agonizing days by bus. It was a journey that would require her to embrace courage in the face of fear and difficulty.

By the time Zafiline and her mother arrived in the capital city of Antananarivo, her fear made her want to turn around and go back home. But a local missionary knew about the good reputation of Mercy Ships. He reassured Zafiline that she would find the healing she was seeking.

Finally, Zafiline reached the Africa Mercy in the port of Toamasina. She was immediately admitted to the onboard hospital. But she was too frail and malnourished to withstand the complicated surgery. First, she would have to gain weight. Dr. Gary Parker, the ship’s Chief Medical Officer and maxillofacial surgeon, encouraged her to “eat everything in sight.”

So, armed with an all-you-can-eat diet and a nutrient-rich peanut butter substitute, Zafiline gained weight. Within ten days of her arrival, she had surgery – a four-hour procedure that removed the tumor she had been carrying for so long.

The first few days of recovery required Zafiline to once again rally her personal courage. She was swollen and uncomfortable. The bandage changes were tough.

But during those difficult days, Zafiline made an important discovery – she realized she was surrounded by people who loved her. The nurses offered love and affection in ways that Zafiline had never experienced. Even her fellow patients demonstrated great love by praying for her in the days following her surgery.

Once Zafiline understood that she was loved and beautiful, an amazing transformation occurred. Not only was the tumor removed, but she looked younger. She was no longer burdened by limitations imposed by the tumor. She was free to eat, sleep, and live a normal life.

Now her eyes told a much different story . . . a story of an amazing ship filled with people willing to show love in a number of ways.

Zafiline’s mother summed up her daughter’s journey to healing in one sentence:  “Thank you, God, for what you have done.”