Cute Kids On the Ward!

By Catherine Schwebel, Chaplain

 I love to walk through the hospital and peek in at some of the cutest patients ever!

 They have such strong spirits and love to play...

 

 They are so brave as they overcome handicaps that they have had to deal with their whole lives.

They never give up trying or smiling!

Happy International Nurses Day!

By Catherine Murphy

To be a nurse you have to be an all-around remarkable person.

I’ve seen our nurses at work in some of the most challenging scenarios imaginable, they leave me in awe. I’m happy that today, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, we take the time to acknowledge and appreciate nurses around the world.  

I asked a few nurses here what being a nurse means to them. Our fabulous photographer Ruben Plomp put these images together. I’m glad I can share a glimpse of what nursing onboard the Africa Mercy looks like with you.

Mercy Ships relies on more than 700 volunteer nurses over the course of each 10-month field service. Without each and every one of them, we couldn’t do what we do. In fact, I think I’ll go down to the hospital right now and high-five as many as I can find.  

Photos by Ruben Plomp

Jordis

The nurses on the Africa Mercy would not be surprised to see eight-year-old Jordis’ photograph next to the word boy in the dictionary. Right now, if you were to walk into B-ward, you would most likely find Jordis and his best buddy, Chadrac, entertaining the patients and nurses with an improv dance party to the tune of Reel 2 Real’s “I Like to Move It” – to the accompaniment of balloons bouncing, giggles bursting forth, and the two boys hopping around, delighted with the attention. 

Months ago, Screening Coordinator Mirjam Plomp’s (NLD) and her team traveled over 600 kilometers from the Africa Mercy to find patients who might otherwise have never found treatment for their various ailments. At upcountry screening in Oyo, Republic of Congo, she met Jordis and his mother, Viviane. 

Jordis and his mother wait in the screening line for consultation

At first glance, Jordis seemed like a normal good-hearted, overly-energetic kid who constantly gets himself into some form of trouble. But, if you let your eyes fall to his feet, you understood why this healthy boy called deck 3 of the Africa Mercy his home for several weeks. 

Jordis had spent his entire life wanting to do all of the crazy things young boys do, but was unable to do them. Fortunately, he was blessed with a loving mother named Viviane. She desperately wanted healing for her son. She wanted to see him climb trees. She was tired of the sadness she felt as she watched him standing at the base of a tree and watching his friends scurry into the branches. She was tired of seeing the hunger in her son’s eyes as he watched the endless soccer games he could not join. She yearned to see his eyes light up as he raced with his friends or scored the winning goal in a soccer match. So, she made sure they arrived at the Oyo screening hours before it began, and she made her rambunctious son wait in line with her in the pouring rain. 

Mirjam recalls, “Jordis and his mom had been waiting in line for a couple of hours by the time we arrived. When it was his turn, Jordis walked up to me, and I instantly noticed his massive left foot. It was a very large case of gigantism, a deformity from birth.” Mirjam knew it was something that Mercy Ships could treat, so she handed an appointment card to Jordis and his ecstatic mother and told them when to come to the ship in Pointe Noire. 

All it took was a free 45-minute procedure onboard a hospital ship to give the gift of soccer, trees, heart-pounding races, intricate pranks, and goofy dances . . . a gift Jordis had been waiting for his entire life. 

A few weeks after his surgery, Jordis returned for a physical therapy appointment. “The way my foot used to be, I was not able to run or play soccer. But since you fixed my foot, I can do whatever I want to do,” he said as he showed off his soccer skills for the camera. 

Viviane contentedly watched her son be a “ham” for the crew. She knew he had waited so long for this – a chance to be a normal boy.  Now, it was Jordis’ time to shine.  And his mother smiled.

Written by Grace Antonini

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photographs by Michelle Murrey, Josh Callow and Deb Louden

Happy Birthday, Sam!

From the crew to you

And from us, too!

Marcel

It’s rainy season in Congo and Marcel’s backyard is a muddy mess. He has seated himself on the only dry ground with one stack of sketches in his lap and another at his feet. Marcel, 60, comments that he has never liked having his photo taken, but he poses like a seasoned professional. As he holds up each sketch, his enthusiasm suggests that it’s been a while since someone has asked him to discuss his designs. In fact, it’s been a while since he’s seen them himself.

Five years ago, Marcel was at the peak of his career. He had earned his place as a respected designer and tailor among Congo’s elite. He was seeing six or seven clients per day in his shop in Pointe Noire. Marcel met the sartorial needs of high society; through his doors came businessmen, oil executives, and government officials, even the city’s Mayor. Anyone who was anyone was wearing Marcel.

Marcel’s creations were art. After studying fashion and tailoring in Brazzaville, Congo’s capital, he returned to Pointe Noire to outfit the residents of his hometown. As he made a name for himself, Marcel built a business and a family. He and his wife lived in the house behind his shop. Life was good, but underneath the fabric bolts and tape measures, Marcel had a secret: he was going blind.

The plucky 55-year-old carried on working anyway. Within the next year, his vision deteriorated into milky-white blindness from cataracts. He kept his shop open until the day he realized he had been sewing suit pockets on backwards. It was time, he decided. Marcel closed his doors.

Marcel wasn’t unique in his condition — cataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness in sub-Saharan Africa. (source: World Health Organization) Under different circumstances, a man as persistent as Marcel might have been able to access and afford the treatment he needed. But in central West Africa, the treatment that was available was out of his reach. He had no options but to learn to live in unnecessary blindness. After a career spent dressing the powerful, Marcel found himself powerless. He grieved his vision, his independence, his livelihood, and his art.

In the fall of 2013, Marcel’s wife, Philomene, saw a poster in Pointe Noire. It advertised an organization called Mercy Ships that offered free cataract surgeries. She wrote down the information and went home to Marcel with the news. It seemed too good to be true. At his appointment, Marcel was assessed by a Mercy Ships volunteer ophthalmologist and scheduled for eye surgery on the Africa Mercy.

Today, Marcel can see again. When he talks about the eye surgery that restored his vision, he’s talking about a 30-minute outpatient procedure which was sponsored by a donor for $250. The cost is not insignificant, but when considering all the ways the surgery has restored his life, it seems small.

As for fashion, Marcel is picking up right where he left off. He plans to re-open the shop next to his house, and he is already conceptualizing the garments he will create. The news that Marcel’s vision has been restored has been widely celebrated in town. “My community is worshiping God,” he says. Soon, he hopes his shop will be busy again with the familiar faces of his dapper clientele.

Today in Marcel’s dreary backyard, one might struggle to find inspiration — but Marcel says he finds exceptional beauty in the ordinary. He sees with new eyes, taking nothing for granted. In fact, his current muse is a chicken. He considers the feathers of a chicken to be so elegant that he is inspired to create a masterpiece, but Philomene says his first order of business is to make something especially for her. Marcel knows better than to disagree.

Philomene, Marcel, and two of their grandchildren.

While Marcel was blind, he became a grandfather for the 5th time.

Rainy season is almost over, and, when the sun comes out, Congo’s gorgeous landscape will bloom. Between his work, grandchildren, and yard of inspirational poultry, Marcel can look forward to a beautiful future.

Years ago, it was a different Marcel who wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

I know a Marcel in Congo who understands this in ways most of us never will.

---

About the author: Catherine Clarke Murphy is a Writer and Photographer for Mercy Ships.

The Boo Boo Comparison

My second swim class this morning compared boo boo's.  It went like this:

B:  "Miss Margo, look at my boo boo."
Me: "How did you get that?"
B:   "I fell of my bike."
O:  "Miss Margo, I have a boo boo, too.  It's on my knee."
Me:  "Let me see.  Oh, that's a good one."
O:  "Do you have any boo boo's?"
Me:  "I have one on my knee, too."
B:  "How did you get it, Miss Margo?"
Me:  (mumbling) "Shaving . . ."

The Doctor's Report . . .

Dr. Simonette called Sam at school yesterday and gave him the results of his MRI.  It was what we suspected.  His left shoulder will need to have surgery this summer, but it isn't quite as bad as his right shoulder - his left shoulder muscle has only 10% tear.  Odds are, though, that the recovery will be just as bad!