For Elodie and Maurice, hope can be found in their son’s smile.
A tumor in Emmanoel's mouth cut off his airway to the point that he was passing out. At first, doctors thought their son just had malaria. But, as Emmanoel grew, so did the tumor and his breathing worsened.
Eventually, Emmanoel's parents took him to the capital city in hopes of finding medical treatment. There, doctors found a tumor growing on his palate that was slowly suffocating him. He needed surgery, but it was not a procedure that they could perform.
Maurice and Elodie were out of options and resources, and their son was almost out of time. Now losing consciousness several times a day, they feared that, eventually, Emmanoel would pass out and not wake up again.
Between sleepless nights at home, Maurice worked in a shipping port. One day, he noticed a ship arrive that was unlike any he’d ever seen before — one with a hospital onboard.
Emmanoel’s parents rushed the young boy to the Mercy Ships medical screening as soon as they were able. They waited in a line of more than 7,000 other people also waiting to be seen But before they reached the front of the line, Emmanoel passed out and required the attention of the Mercy Ships Emergency Medical Team.
With a life-threatening condition casting a shadow over his life, Emmanoel was quickly scheduled for surgery onboard the Africa Mercy.
“I don’t know how he survived this long; I really don’t,” volunteer Dr. Mark Shrime, Emmanoel’s surgeon, said during the operation.
After a successful operation, young Emmanoel could finally breathe with ease, as well as laugh, and now has hope for a bright future!
No comments:
Post a Comment