Minette's Cinderella Story

As you take a few minutes to read "Minette's Cinderella Story" reblogged from "Into the Deep", know that we serve an amazing God who changes lives inside and out.  (Note:  Nurse Stacia quoted in the article is a friend of ours from both time on the ship and in Texas.)

I met Minette about a year ago. Her story shows how there is light inside each of us, desperately trying to make its way out. This is only a slice of Minette’s story, which is still being written.

Minette excitedly sits in the chair, patiently waiting as the hairstylist works her magic. She can hardly believe this moment has arrived – when someone isn’t afraid of touching her and wants to style her hair. An hour later she emerges with her braids perfectly in place, ready for a celebratory party that she has waited for – for 16 years. On this day, Minette feels as special as the fairy tale princess Cinderella. No, Minette is not heading to a ball to meet her prince, but her biggest wish has already come true.

When Minette was five years old, her father, Robert, noticed something that broke his heart. His little girl showed signs of a condition called neurofibroma – tumors that grow on nerves throughout the body. In a developing country like Madagascar, little is known about neurofibromas or how to treat them. However, Robert knew this condition all too well. He’d also been afflicted with the disease; which showed its first signs when he too was only five.

“It’s something from life, something God let happen to us,” he shares. “No one else in our family has it.”

If the tumors were small, affected individuals could possibly hide their condition. However, the norm is one tumor grows much larger than all the others. Robert’s large neurofibroma resides on his right wrist, which at a glance appears like he’s holding a sack of groceries. In fact, holding a neurofibroma feels a lot like a sack – full of worms.

Minette’s large neurofibroma grew in a much more delicate place, from the top of her neck at the base of her skull where the hairline ends; as if it were part of her hair. It caused Minette nothing but heartache. People were afraid to touch her. As she grew, she endured the ridicule of being singled out by other children. Neighbors said the family was cursed. By the time Minette turned 21; her large neurofibroma had reached her waist and weighed 4.3 kilograms (approximately 9 pounds).

“People wouldn’t treat me as a human being,” she shares.

Minette wished for a cure, but in the real world, fairy godmothers don’t exist. Or do they? She didn’t have a magic wand but Minette’s fairy godmother came in the unusual form of a 16,500-ton hospital ship, the Africa Mercy; a ship dedicated to offering free specialized surgeries to the poorest of the poor.

Robert and Minette first heard about the Africa Mercy and the organization that operates it, Mercy Ships, on the radio. A hospital ship providing free surgeries sounded too good to be true. Villagers warned them that the foreigners on the ship would steal their organs and conduct experiments on them. Desperate for a cure, father and daughter ignored the warnings and made the three-hour journey to the ship in a cramped bus.

Upon arriving, Minette was evaluated by volunteer surgeons and staff for surgery. Everyone could see Minette’s discomfort – she didn’t smile, never made eye contact, and wore a constant grimace. Dr. Tertius Venter, the lead volunteer plastics surgeon on Minette’s case, and his surgical team had a simple goal: remove as much of Minette’s neurofibroma as possible without reducing her range of motion or damaging nerves.

On the morning of her surgery, nurses helped Minette prepare for surgery by scrubbing down her large neurofibroma. Two nurses worked together to lift the tumor that Minette had carried alone. Once in surgery, the team worked over three hours and removed the entire 4.3 kilogram (9 pound) tumor, resulting in an immediate physical transformation. Minette’s emotional and spiritual healing would follow.

Over the next few days, the all-volunteer crew gave Minette blood transfusions, and prayed and cared for her in a way she’d never before experienced. Deeper than Minette’s wish for her tumor to be removed was her wish to be loved. However, years of rejection made it difficult for Minette to accept that love. Every day the nurses, chaplains, and crew loved on Minette and slowly she began engaging with others. Finally, the moment came when Minette flashed a smile. Those who witnessed that moment won’t soon forget the beauty that radiated from her face. Minette hasn’t stopped smiling since.

“It was just really beautiful to see someone go from very little confidence to knowing that she could be confident and knowing that she was loved,” shared Stacia Julian, ward nurse and team leader for the plastics program. “There is so much light in her eyes now and true joy coming from her.”

Minette and Robert shared they are thankful for their restorative surgeries. Upon returning home, Minette’s wish came true, to commemorate the end of this journey with a trip to the hairdresser and a celebration party. Finally, free of their burdens, Robert says he now waits for the Prince Charming who will take his Cinderella away. “Happily ever after” has already begun for his princess.