The massive goiter that hung from Serafine’s neck was part of her
life for 34 years. It began as a small lump when she was breastfeeding
her first child. The village women told her this was the cause, and she
had no way to find any other information.
Serafine is now 54 years old. She and her husband raised eight
children in their one-room thatched house, and they toil together
growing corn and rice. It’s hard physical work. Twice a day, Serafine
collects water from the river and carries it home – uphill – on her
head.
As her goiter grew over the years, the essential tasks of daily life
in rural Madagascar became increasingly difficult. People called her The
Woman with the Big Neck. Her children and grandchildren were ashamed.
“People keep their distance,” shared Serafine. “Some people say maybe I
stole something and got a curse! But I didn’t do such things.”
Years later, Serafine heard about a traditional healer who could
“cure” goiters. She bought a remedy “like dirt” to spread on her neck
and “little things like papaya seeds” to swallow. Six weeks’ supply cost
NZ$71/US$48) an enormous sum in a country where the average income is
less than $2 per day. She was discouraged and broke.
So Serafine struggled on with the physical demands of life and
endured the ridicule that grew with her goiter. “Maybe I’ll have this
until my death,” she thought.
When the goiter became huge, Serafine found a doctor to do the
operation, but the 400,000 ariary (NZ$188/ US$127) was beyond her reach.
“We start working at 6 a.m. and stop at 12 p.m., and that’s 2000 ariary
(less than $1). We cannot pay that, we cannot! I dropped the idea.
Prayer was my last hope, asking help from God.”
One of her children heard about goiter surgeries performed without
cost on the Mercy Ship. When word reached Serafine, she said, “I was so
happy! It’s going to be done in the name of Jesus! The answer of my
prayer was amazing to me.”
Serafine had several pre-operative treatments onboard the Africa Mercy
and saw immediate change. Then, when her blood levels related to her
thyroid were corrected, Serafine’s massive goiter was removed.
After decades of discomfort, she was finally free. Immediately after
waking from her surgery, Serafine reached up to touch her neck. Her
hands didn’t settle where they used to. The enormous growth was finally
gone!
Armed with a supply of thyroid medication, Serafine said, “I prefer
to take medicines for the rest of my life instead of seeing the problem
come back. One box of pills costs 15,000 ariary (NZ$7/ US$5) for one
month. Mercy Ships will give me as much as they can before they leave.”
Returning weeks later from her village for a post-op check, Serafine
told us her husband didnot initially recognize her. The villagers
remarked that she looks like a young lady now! Serafine giggled behind
her hand and admitted that her husband was not overly impressed when the
village men said that she “looks beautiful.”
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