Blessed are the flexible . . .

 As you probably know, if you've seen the news, there is currently an outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, West Africa.  The same Guinea where the m/v Africa Mercy had planned to spend her next field service, bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.   There's been a task force in place for about a month, with both eternal experts and internal stakeholders, evaluating the different scenarios and possibilities in light of the outbreak and the subsequent hoped-for resolution of the outbreak.  Based on the wisdom of those in the know, the m/v Africa Mercy will be now sailing into port in Benin for her 2014-15 field service.  We were able to serve there in 2009.  Blessed are the flexible . . .  

"P" is for PARTY . . .

I have very few regrets in life, but one is that I was never able to attend a dress ceremony on the Africa Mercy.  Maybe one day, God will grant me this desire . . .

There are parties, and then there are parties.

On the Africa Mercy, no one does a party quite like Ward B.

You may remember that I’ve written before about VVF (vesico-vaginal fistula) – a childbirth injury sustained in regions where emergency obstetric care is unavailable. A very rough description would be that, often after several days of labor, women develop a hole in their birth canal that leaks urine. In short, these women need C-sections and when they can’t have them the damage leaves them incontinent, if not dead. They almost always lose the child they were carrying from the trauma of the birth. There are approximately 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia who live with VVF, according to the WHO. Two million.

When you are incontinent, you smell. When you smell, people avoid you. In several days’ time, young women go from being expectant mothers to grieving, injured, and outcast. Over and over again I hear from these women that they have been left by their husbands, rejected by their communities. In all of my time in Africa, I’ve never been as moved as I’ve been by the plight of women with VVF. They have suffered in ways few of us will never understand. I think they must be made of God’s strongest fabric.

After obstetric surgery, our VVF patients stay on Ward B for several weeks recovering. Do you know what happens when you place a bunch of women who have suffered for years in solitude together in the setting of a great big sleepover? While they rejoice over the fact that they’ve just won the healthcare lottery and will receive free surgery that will change their lives forever? Can you imagine this? Well, I’ll tell you: it is a non-stop musical hen party. They braid hair, do crafts, and parade in the hallway singing. I walked in a few days ago to find that they had pushed their beds together. Seriously. Like in The Parent Trap. Then they redecorated the entire ward. If we don’t leave soon there will be a sorority house where the hospital used to be.

When these incredible women are ready to be discharged, we throw a hell of a party. We call it a Dress Ceremony. With full hearts and dry skirts, the patients sing and dance and celebrate their re-entry to society and the emotional restoration they have found through the care and counseling of our amazing medical staff. It’s the happy ending after  a long road of suffering that began because they needed a doctor and didn’t have access to one.

This week, we celebrated the journeys of eight patients who no longer suffer with VVF.
It’s my great honor to introduce our debutantes, the Beauties of Ward B. 

Thanks for reading.

Photography by Catherine Murphy
(+ nifty behind the scenes footage by Josh Callow)
Copyright Mercy Ships 2014

Dr. Ouedraogo

Taken from the Captain's blog . . .

Surgery began at the end of February for Mercy Ships obstetric fistula program. Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury that leaves women incontinent and often makes them outcasts in their communities. Volunteer surgeon Dr. Itengre Ouedraogo has joined us in Pointe Noire, Congo to provide free surgeries to these women.  “We had another successful screening Wednesday with more operations scheduled.” Obstetric Fistula Team Leader Stephanie Fiduk says, “Dr. Itengre Ouedraogo is great to work with; he is patient, very astute, and great with the patients.  Overall I would say that there is an amazing peace surrounding the fistula program.  I’m looking forward to what God has for the next few weeks, and for more lives to change.” To learn more about Mercy Ships obstetric fistula program watch this video: http://youtu.be/lVYX_G5K_hY

Dr. Ouedraogo took some time out to be interviewed by our communications team:

You can easily point to his homeland of Burkina Faso on a map—but Dr. Ouedraogo prefers to call Africa his home. This pan-African obstetric surgeon received his medical and surgical education in Cuba. Soon after, he earned his Masters in Epidemiology and Humanitarian Aid.

Impressed?

So are we! But Dr. Ouedraogo gives all the glory to God: “The fact that I am a surgeon today is a divine grace of God’s—He has a specific goal for me.”

Dr. Ouedraogo has chosen to dedicate his life and skill to the forgotten and ostracized people of his beloved continent. He is currently ‘vacationing’ from his role as medical director of a fistula center in Niger so he can serve with us onboard in the Congo. Wherever he goes, Dr. Ouedraogo is working to provide life-changing surgery to women who have sustained traumatic childbirth injuries.

Tell us why you chose to serve with Mercy Ships.

Through Mercy Ship, the dignity of the outcast is rebuilt. Mercy Ships gives the opportunity to people from all nations to demonstrate their passion for the forgotten.  Yes, as an obstetric surgeon, maybe it’s true that I could get more money and popularity working in a big city and a big hospital. But every time I see a woman joyful because she is healed, I know I have contributed to the reintegration of an outcast into her society. I have helped rebuild a broken house. So, when Mercy Ships accepted my application this year to serve as fistula surgeon, I felt it was an honor. It is like I am adding my block to the building of the new Africa that Mercy Ships is helping to build.

In your own words, describe Africa.

I see Africa as a sleeping giant who needs to be awakened. Africa has great potential for development due to its natural and human resources. There is a popular saying in my tongue that says, “You cannot clean the flour on the floor with one hand.” I think what is needed in Africa is that other strong hand—which in my personal opinion is the developed world—to awaken him and wash his face so that the direction for real development can be found. Up ‘til now, Africa has been receiving so much help from the West— but truly, it is better to teach how to fish rather than giving the fish.

If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would say that maybe for the world we are one person, but for one person we are the world. We cannot change the entire world, but we can change the world of somebody. Let everybody seek and accomplish the purpose of God for his life, because mortals become immortal by the things they do and that remain after them.

 

It's great to have Dr. Ouedraogo working alongside us.

APRIL FAMILY PICTURE

This month's family photo - to be shot on April Fool's Day - was planned by Sam; however, two family members were not well enough to smile then so we had to wait!  Do you know who?  

Yes, friends, it was Sam recovering from shoulder surgery and Matt who just couldn't smile after having his wisdom teeth out.  Fortunately, we all look much better now!  Thanks again, neighbor Nancy, for bringing out our smiles!  

Dreige and Eddy . . .

 Dreige and Eddy met a few months ago at the eye clinic, where each of these teens had come to have his vision restored through free cataract removal. The boys became fast friends as they healed together after surgery. When they were recently reunited, Dreige looked over Eddy's shoulder as he flipped through photos on his mom's camera, and the two would point and comment and fall into fits of laughter. The act was simple: sharing photos and laughing. The miracle behind it was amazing - the gift of vision restored to two young friends, now able to do something as simple as look at a photo and laugh.

Claire and Olga . . .

Caring for an ill child or parent is never an easy task. Illness can take a toll on the whole family. Many of the patients who come to the Africa Mercy are accompanied by a care giver to help them through the healing process.

 

Claire came to the Africa Mercy so that she could have free surgery to remove a goiter. Her daughter, Olga, faithfully cared for her in the ship’s hospital during her recovery. Now, Olga and Claire have returned home, where both mother and daughter are filled with renewed hope. “I am so overwhelmed with joy,” Olga said. “The first day we came to meet Mercy Ships, we didn’t know what the outcome would be. Right now, I want to say a big thank you to Mercy Ships and all the doctors and nurses who changed my mother’s life. I never thought my mother would have this surgery. She had this condition for [28] years. I’m very, very happy.”

Benjamine

Once again, taken from the Captain's blog, Trethaway Lines . .  .

Here on the Africa Mercy, we are quite proficient in the language of smiles. When local languages like Kituba and Lingala aren’t your strongpoints—the smile remains your most genuine form of communication. Benjamine, a 12-year old from Congo’s interior, speaks this language with beautiful fluency. When crew first met her at the secondary plastics screening, they were taken away with her ability to push through such severe burn contractures to send us the most heartfelt smile we could imagine.  

Benjamine was able to receive a free, life-changing surgery onboard the Africa Mercy. Her operation included multiple upper-body and facial burn contracture releases and a sizeable skin graft.   Burn scars covered so much of her body that our surgeon, Dr. Tertius Venter, had to release five locations of her skin at the same time – both elbows, both armpits, and the skin around her neck and mouth. On top of that Dr. Venter had to take large portions of the skin from both of her thighs to graft onto her neck and arms, leaving Benjamine with seven different wounds to heal.

One day she was sitting at the foot of her bed laughing and even singing to a nurse’s guitar, but she has her on-and-off days. She was in a lot of pain; and her recovery would be a long one.   Needless to say, Benjamine needed our prayers and support more than ever as she made her journey through the pain and into a complete restoration

 She still slept a lot, but slowly regained her energy. During the day she did a good job of getting up and moving around – especially when there were bubbles involved.  

 Sweet Benjamine was on the wards of the Africa Mercy for more than two months. 

It was a long road of healing, however, she has pressed through the pain and kept up with her exercises to rehabilitate those newly freed muscles and joints. During her stay she received a lot of love and she gave us back more love and laughter than we know what to do with.

After 3 months having been through screening, surgery, rehab, dressing changes, games of hide-and-seek, hugs, laughter, and pain, one thing never changed – the smile on her face. On a beautifully bittersweet Monday some of the medical staff threw her a farewell party before she left the ship - these are some of their hugs. Now the Africa Mercy is a bit dimmer without Benjamine's sweet smile lighting up the hallways, but we're happy knowing Benjamine is off brightening someone's day.