Kossin Delou

Sixteen-year-old, Kossin Delou, spent four years of his life sheltered by his family and kept out of the public eye due to an enormous tumor that dominated the left side of his face. When the tumor first appeared, Kossin visited local hospitals in Lomé, Togo. But his family could not afford the necessary surgery. So, the tumor, which started from Kossin's upper jaw, continued to grow. It soon covered his eye, hindering his vision. As the insidious growth enlarged, Kossin's life became more difficult. Kossin's father is a local pastor, and the church is an important part of his family life. But people viewed the tumor as a curse, so Kossin's shame prevented him from attending church. In fact, the children who were once his friends now ridiculed him on the streets and at school. He even felt like an outsider among his own siblings. His emotional turmoil intensified as his dream for his future began to fade away. Kossin wanted to study at a university to become a teacher. He wanted to enrich the lives of children with knowledge and love. His grotesque facial deformity would prevent him from pursuing his education.

Then Kossin came to our hospital ship, the Africa Mercy . After many hours of surgery, he emerged with a newly constructed face.

Joy radiated from Kossin and his family. His father, Pastor Delou, says, "In this life each one of us needs help in some moments of our life. I can say that through Mercy Ships, we have found that help. You can have a bad story - but, before the end of your life , God will open a door and smile deep into your heart. I know that God is working through Mercy Ships for the best in my life and in Kossin 's life ." (3 weeks after surgery standing alongside his father, Pastor Delou) Kossin is ecstatic about his new life. He can go to church with his family and friends. He's no longer an object of ridicule. And - best of all - in September of 2010, Kossin will be able to start school to fulfil his resurrected dream of becoming a teacher.

Written by Joy Clary Edited by Nancy Predaina Photos by Debra Bell and Liz Cantu

Redesign

You may have noticed things look a little different on the blog. We've been cracking the html code and having a shuffle around to reorganised our blog so instead of having alot of headings down the side menu, you can now access them from the navigation bar at the top, making life a lot easier.

Birthday Boys

The end of April and the beginning of May bring a special day for the boys in our family as we celebrate their birthdays. For Tim, if you find a museum it's guaranteed to be a hit, and it was! After picking up some tips from some of the ex-pats here, it was recommended to us to visit the Musee International Du Golf De Guinee that is situated on the main boulevard towards town. The museum consisted of the private collection of the trader and African arts expert, Mr.Rene David from Switzerland. He returned his collection to Africa and it has been added to by his wife Mme Enam David. Today, the museum happens to be the most popular one in Africa with pieces from different cultures of Africa. Our tour guide for the visit was Amoudji K. Junior who spoke excellent English so we were able to learn alot about the different masks, statues, jewellery, drums etc that we saw on display and get little more of an understanding of how and why these things are used in the African culture. Tim of course was in his element and we have the 100's of photo's to prove it!

(a tribal mask/gown)

(480 year old statue of a portuguese explorer)

(Ancient African drum, the old fashioned cell phone!)

We finished up at the local Lome fast food restaurant, Al Donalds, for lunch. Decor was a bit basic but the food didn't taste too bad. We had to give them 10 out of 10 for creativity for copying the MacDonalds sign.

Then Nathanael's birthday followed at the beginning of May. Somehow the museum wasn't his choice, but a Bob the Builder party sounded much more fun. So we got creative and did lots of googling to create a fun party for 9 kids.

(Nathanael in his Bob the Builder outfit)

Classic games included, pass the parcel, pin the tool on Bob and a "build a tower" scavenger hunt. They enjoyed a builders lunch of hotdogs, cement drinks, traffic light jelly/jello and hard hat birthday cake and went home with lots of Bob the Builder goodies that we had been organised enough to get when we were home in the UK last January. (ebay is our friend!).

(Kids making toolboxes)

The greatest idea we found was making t-shirts with all their faces on a Bob the Builders body, a great keepsake. We got the t-shirts at a bargain price of 50p and used iron on transfers.

All in all the kids went home happy and Nathanael still talks about it and we survived to live another year before we have to organize another one.

(the hard hat cake)

Presidential Visit

At the moment we seem to be playing a little catch up with our news. Life has been so busy that we just haven't got round to telling you about it.

Last month we had the privilege of having the President of Togo visit the Africa Mercy. We had about a days notice to get everything in place and many security guards turned up to stay overnight on the ship.

(Tim greeting the President at the gangway)

This is the spread that I happened to come face to face with when I walked into the crew galley as our hospitality team were working hard to make refreshments. for the visit.

All in all the president seemed very moved by his experience on board. Click below to view a video of his message to the crew.

2011 Field Service Anounced

High we exalt thee, realm of the free Great is the love we have for thee Firmly united, ever we stand Singing the praise, our native land We raise up our hearts and our voices on high The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry Blessing & peace be ever thy own Land that we love our Sierra Leone

(Sierra Leone National Anthem) Recently Mercy Ships announced that our Field Service for 2011 will be in Sierra Leone. This will be the fourth time that Mercy Ships has delivered free world-class medical care to the impoverished West African nation. The protocols and Memoranda of Understanding have been signed. The agreement provides the necessary collaboration with the Sierra Leone government in regard to the port, security, water and sanitation. It also opens the door for the Mercy Ships Advance Team to do the preliminary work necessary for the upcoming Field Service.

Health care in Sierra Leone is unaffordable and often unavailable. The country ranks 180 out of 182 nations on the 2009 Human Development Index, and the majority of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Infant mortality in Sierra Leone is 159 per 1000 births as compared to the USA at 6.3 per 1000 births. Dental care is another illustration of the conditions within the country, with one dentist for every one million people, where as it's 6,000 dentists per million people in the USA Mercy Ships looks forward to their continued partnership with the West African Fistula Centre in Aberdeen founded in 2004. The clinic is now under the management of the Freedom from Fistuala Foundation. The Centre offers free surgeries to women suffering from childbirth-related injury and has the capacity to serve between 500 and 600 patients per year. The Africa Mercy will also serve as a platform for training African healthcare professionals and for community development teams. These programs ensure that the positive impact of Mercy Ships will continue long after the ship leaves Sierra Leone. Don Stephens, Mercy Ships Founder/President said, "Sierra Leone holds a special place in the heart of Mercy Ships. We are looking forward to building upon the foundation we established in 3 previous visits. The people of Sierra Leone started asking ‘when will your hospital ship come back to our country in the immigration and customs lines at the airport. Welcome Mercy Ships was the greeting of several officials. You help our people. Please come back!’"

(The famous Bat tree in the middle of town, bats can be seen hanging there all day)

For Sharon it will be a special time as this was her first Field Service when she joined Mercy Ships in 2001 and was captured by the sweet nature of the Sierra Leoneons, even now she can almost hum the tune to their national anthem. In 2001 the civil war was just ending and poverty was at it's lowest. It will be interesting to see if there have been any changes during the last 10 years.

Hospitality Centre

The Hospitality Center, situated about 3 ½ km. (two miles) from where the Africa Mercy is, opened its doors the first week in March. The 40-bed facility offers overnight provision for up to 90 patients awaiting surgeries and other procedures. It also provides on-land office space for eye services and other programs.

During its first week of operation, the Center handled pre-op and post-op services for 240 eye patients. 80 of those patients were receiving cataract surgery. Eye Specialist Woody Hopper, who heads the eye services office, estimates that 1600 eye patients will utilize the facility during this field service. The Center also housed 88 patients and caregivers overnight to prevent travel problems during Togo's recent national election. Surrounded by a gated cement wall, the Hospitality Center is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the tumultuous city of Lomé. It is housed in a government-owned clinic that is being transformed into a hospital. The Togolese government is allowing Mercy Ships to use one wing of the clinic for the duration of the Togo Field Service. Mercy Ships workers have replaced the leaky roof, installed electricity and air-conditioning, and done a thorough cleaning. The result is a sanitary, up-to-date, and pleasant environment for patients awaiting medical services.

The Hospitality Center is under the supervision of our Land-Based Programs Manager and a management team who share the workload. They are assisted by 22 day-volunteers, divided into teams to do maintenance, drive the shuttles, and assist guests. On the Centre's opening day, 30 patients received pre-op services before receiving their eye surgeries onboard the Africa Mercy . They returned to the Center for post-op care, including instructions and eye care products. Assistants translated instructions into French, Togo's official language, and Ewe, one of the country's most prevalent tribal languages.

You can often here the native drum and celebrated singing of people giving thanks to God. Faces glow with smiles, and arms rise in praise, as patients sing and move with the beat of the music. One eye patient, Kossi Diabo, smiled widely "I am very happy to be here this morning to get a healing from God " he said "and would thank Mercy Ships for what they are doing. First , I can't see anything. Now, I can see! May God encourage you and give you strength." Patients who undergo cataract surgery return for a laser procedure 6 weeks after surgery. When those treatments begin, a Celebration of Sight will be held every Friday for up to 120 patients, a wonderful opportunity to join together in thanking God for His goodness.

A Glimpse Into Our Screening Days

In Togo we have been taking a different approach by holding more smaller screenings. Here is a video which gives you a glimpse into the lives of the screening team and what it takes to assess if somebody is suitable for surgery.

New Legs!

Patients like 11 year old Abel Dalome experience life changing surgeries thanks to the dedicated volunteers on our ship! This young man's life will never be the same.

School Photos

This week we received Nathanael's school photo's. Isn't he a cutie? Apparently it was quite an interesting morning for the photographer and 7 pre-schoolers!

This is Nathanael with his nursery class. As you can see, getting them all to look the same way and smile at the same time just didn't happen.

.....and this is our academy (school) on board. Ages range from 2-18 years.

Would You Be a Deckie

Let us introduce you to our deck department. They are amazing hard working guys and girls. Whether it needs painting, lifting, securing, moving, fixing, purifying your water, fire extinguishers, steering the ship etc, there is so much that they do and to write it all here would take forever. A lot could even go unnoticed by many.

But there is always one job that I don't think I (Sharon) could ever bring myself to do. During our field service our deckies and day volunteers take on the task of painting the outside of the ship. Now we're not sophisticated enough to have running platforms that run round the ship like they do on the posh cruise ships. Instead we use the old fashioned bosun chair. Old fashioned? you say....oh yes, some rope and a plank and it works, along with a safety line!

First, it can be a long way down that rope ladder.

Then you get on your plank, along with your friend and lifejacket.

You chip away the rust spots and spruce it up with some paint.

You can even do it in teams!

So if you like to live life on the edge, come be a deckie for a few weeks.

Thank you Deckies you do an amazing job.

A Busy Week

A week of challenges and surprises, typical for us...?

It began last weekend with a wonderful dinner with new friends, Glotin family, working with the French Navy in Togo. The US Ambassador turned up and we learned a lot about Africa Art, politics and other interesting subjects.

Of course there were the usual demands of work and preparations for surveys and other business of operating a ship, Mercy or otherwise.

On Tuesday morning, we received word that the President of Togo, Mr. Gnassingbe, would be visiting the ship. It is an interesting challenge to make all the preparations for a visit of a Head of State in less than 24 hours, but our great team pulled it all together, from Security arrangements to special arrangements of chairs and so much more. I believe that the President's visit was a meaningful experience for him as well as an honor for us. It is part of the amazing ministry we have.....to be able to touch the hearts of the poorest of the poor, and a President, on the same day.

Life quickly returned (for Tim) to the other important tasks, like trying to confirm some permits for the ship, arranging for the delivery of 600 metric tons of fuel, sharing with a local businessman that we were following the example of Jesus in coming to bring Hope and Healing in his country. We plan to meet again.

Mercy Ships Founders Don and Deyon Stephens were back on board, with friends of Mercy Ships US Congressman and Mrs L. Gohmert. Later, I met Former VP of DR Congo visiting on board for two days as well.

The Taxes were finished (hurray) and we ran errands in the city (accidentally meeting the Glotins on the way) and dodging a large "political rally." Nathanael got a fever last night. This morning a good turnout for the sunrise service on Deck 8 and a wonderful Resurrection Service later. With Nathanael sick, we'll have Brunch in the cabin, and, we hope, an afternoon of rest and joy in the Resurrection of our Savior.

Oceane-A Story from Benin

Whilst Megan was working in the communications office, one of the photographers, grabbed her attention, saying, "You need to have a look at this pre-operative photo." She spun her chair around and was horrified by the image on his computer screen. There was one-year-old Oceane. Tears were streaming from her eyes. Her little face grimaced in pain. A grotesque mass, larger than her head, hung from the back of her neck. The photo made her uncomfortable. Instinctively, she turned away. "Children aren't supposed to experience that kind of pain," she thought.

Oceane had an encephalocele - a rare neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of neural tissue through openings in the skull. A small gap in the back of her head, only 1.4 cm wide, was the root of her problems. It allowed cerebrospinal fluid to escape from her brain and collect in the ballooning skin on the back of her neck, which formed the disturbing "second head."

Oceane's mother, Philomen, had brought her baby to a Mercy Ships medical screening day in February 2009. Upon evaluation, surgeons planned on removing the mass and placing a small tube in her brain. The tube, called a shunt, would drain excessive fluid from her head into her abdomen. However, the earliest surgical opening wasn't until October.

During the seven months of waiting for the surgery, Philomen faced great discouragement. As the bulge continued to swell, simple things, like bathing Oceane, began to scare Philomen. "When I gave her a bath, I never washed her head. I was scared the tumor would explode, and the baby would die."

To make life even more miserable, others began to mock Philomen, saying, "Look at the horrible baby she has."

Philomen said, "I never replied. I felt very ashamed and always stayed in the house." Friends and family increased the tension by saying that Mercy Ships was making her wait because they couldn't perform the surgery.

Despite the discouraging voices around her, Philomen never lost hope that Oceane could be helped. On Sunday, October 14, she brought the child to the Africa Mercy . That evening, Megan walked down to the hospital to meet them. Oceane was helplessly lying on the bed, unable to sit up from the weight of the mass. "There is no way they are going to be able to remove that," she thought to myself. Cautiously, she introduced herself. She knew it was still uncertain that she'd receive her surgery. She was scheduled for a neurosurgical procedure that normally required multiple surgeons, expensive equipment, and a follow-up stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. It would be high-risk, even with the boundless resources of Western medicine. We were on a hospital ship with half of those resources. The surgeons weren't certain the operation would be safe. Already, Megan could see high hopes and expectations in Philomen's eyes. Oceane was wearing a hospital ID band and sleeping on an Africa Mercy bed . This was the moment she had dreamed about for seven months. But the odds were still against Oceane. Megan didn't want to act too excited for Philomen - not yet. She held Oceane's hand, told Philomen it was nice to meet her, and walked away praying, "God, please help that baby." The next day, a CT Scan of Oceane's head was taken. The results spawned further discussions among the medical staff as they weighed the risks/benefits of her surgery. Finally, the medical team decided Oceane would receive surgery. Her big day was Friday. Thursday afternoon, Megan walked onto D ward looking for her, but the bed was empty. "Where is Oceane?" she asked one of the nurses. "She's in the recovery room. She had her surgery today." Five minutes later, a recovery room nurse walked into the ward holding a small baby with a white turban of bandages. It was Oceane. Again, Megan was shocked. The mass was completely gone. While the nurses listened to her lungs and connected her to a heart monitor, Philomen came to the bedside. When she realized the mass was gone, she was speechless. All she could do was stand by the bed and hold Oceane's tiny hand. For fifteen minutes, she stared at her daughter, oscillating between contented smiles and joyful tears. Megan couldn't hold back her own tears. Throughout the next week, she continued to visit D ward. For the first time, Philomen could see the back of Oceane's neck. Proudly, she tied Oceane to her back like other African mothers and walked up and down the hospital corridor. Philomen was glowing. "When I saw the baby in the surgery room, she was laughing. God has done something great in my life that has lifted me. I have to thank God and ask Him to bless Mercy Ships," she declared. Three weeks after surgery, Oceane came to the Africa Mercy for her final post-op appointment. Megan came down to the hospital to say goodbye. Smiling and laughing as she held Oceane in one arm, Philomen greeted her with an enthusiastic, " Merci, merci, merci beaucoup , " - French for, " Thank you, thank you, thank you very much ."

She handed Megan Oceane, who stared into her eyes and reached out her small hand to grab her hair. All Megan could think was, "God has done a miracle."

---------------------------------------- Taken from a story written by Megan Petock Photos by Mercy Ships photographers, Megan Petock, PJ Accetturo and Esther Biney

Academy Arts Fair

Last night the Academy held an arts fair so the children on board could let others see some of the things they do in school. It's amazing to see so much talent in such a small school of about 50 students. Reciting poetry, playing recorders and a karate display (including karate chops, breaking planks of wood!) were part of the entertainment for the evening and lots of art was displayed on the walls.

Display that has been turned into beautiful cards and sold to the crew.

Nathanael's "art" display, obviously having a green day!

Musical Instruments made by the Kindergarten's that Sharon helps teach.

Music lesson display.

US Ambassador Visit

This week has been a busy week as Togo holds it's elections. Tim has been kept busy putting many security measures in place so we are ready for any problems. Please pray for peace as the votes are counted and the result is announced in the coming days.

We also had a visit from the US Ambassador. She spent time touring the ship and was moved to tears when she saw God's love in action in the wards.

As with many that come to visit, the Starbucks coffee hit a spot and was a real treat. They were presented with Mercy Ships mugs so for the next time that they come they can "bring their own mug" like everybody else does.

Tim was also able to show his area on the bridge

We love it how Mercy Ships can connect with people of all walks of life, we pray God's love is evident in all that we do and say.

Nathanael Completes the Potty Training Program

Today, Nathanael completed his star chart for his potty training. He's done really well and is dry. We started adding Bob the Builder stickers when he told us he needed the potty and was able to get to the potty on time!

WELL DONE NATHANAEL!