Tenerife

After the UK, we returned back to the ship which was now in Santa Cruz, Tenerife finishing off the last project work from the shipyard.  For us it's a time when we replenish the cupboards.  During the year we create a list of things that we REALLY miss/need during our time in Africa and we try to stock up so we can have a few luxuries along the way.  Unfortunately for the shops it must be a mass clear out as 200-300 crew are also doing the same.  At times Sharon found herself nearly emptying the whole shelf contents of a product into her supermarket trolley so we can have something like tinned mushrooms, good salted peanuts or cheese for the freezer for the year!  Fortunately we know Tenerife very well so it's not always too difficult finding most things, like the little tea shop that sells different kinds of tea, or Sharon's special tupperware seller, shoes for Nathanael and of course IKEA, what would we do without IKEA.

We were also treated to a day out a Loro Parque which Nathanael got very excited about.  He was amazed at the dolphin and whale shows.

Also enjoyed a nice afternoon in Candelaria eating paella and visiting the church and beach.

It wasn't before long before we were off again on our travels to Guinea, our next port of call in West Africa.  The sail was pretty smooth, one advantage of changing our schedule to the summer months.

Our Summer

It's been a busy time for the Tretheways since May. The Africa Mercy finished well in Lome, Togo but unfortunately without us.  Click HERE to read the statistics from our time there.

We on the other hand were heading towards the USA.  Tim needed to attend an ECDIS course (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) so it seemed the ideal time for us to all go and spend some time with Tim's family.  Whilst Tim was in the classroom for the week in Seattle, Nathanael and Sharon headed up by bus to Abbotsford, Canada to stay with friends, Renee and Jamie that she hadn't seen for 7 years.  It was a special time of catching up.  Nathanael loved being with Caleb and Owen and tears were shed when we had to leave.

THANK YOU Fox family for a wonderful time.

In Olympia we enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, including much rain.  We delved into the storage unit to retrieve the bike we had bought a few years ago at a yard sale and it fitted Nathanael perfectly.  So he enjoyed riding a bike for the first time.

He got to watch his cousin's baseball games.

 and even had a go himself with his Aunt Carolyn

 Got to play dentist and more at the Children's museum in Olympia

 and of course we always have to fit in a visit to Cabella's! 

 Nathanael joined the little starfish swimming course to help him become more comfortable in the water.

We enjoyed seeing family & friends near and far.

On our return from the USA the ship was just arriving in the Canary Islands for a short time in the dry dock so we all stopped off in the UK for a bit and Tim continued back to the ship 3 weeks later.

Again it rained, but we did enjoy the 1 week of summer that they had, so we hit every attraction going to make up for the sun.

Jumping in the sand dunes

Went to see the Scott May daredevil and monster truck show 

(this is Nathanael and his Grandad REALLY enjoying the tricks!)

 Feeding the ducks near Braunton

or the Wallabies at Exmoor Zoo

Buckland Abbey (click here to see more)

Dunster Castle (click here to see more)

There was even time to learn the simple things in life that Nathanael doesn't always get to do on the ship like going to the post box or hanging out the laundry!

Then there were rainy day activities like visiting the paint your own pottery shop

or dress up in old clothes at the Torrington 1646 (click here to see more)

and of course baking with Granny.

All in all it was a nice time to catch up with family

During our time away we had the privilege to share about the work of Mercy Ships at two venues.

Our friends in the USA live at a big retirement village (Panorama City - www.panoramacity.org) in Olympia where they even have their own auditorium.  So through Arleens conversations we were invited to speak and we had a lovely time with them all.  There was even a lady in the audience that knew Tim when he was a boy.  They very generously donated a gift for the work of Mercy Ships

Thank you so much Panorma City!!

In the UK, again through a friend of friends, we were invited to speak at the Barnstaple Rotary club, which turned out to be more than just Barnstaple as many more attended from various Rotary Clubs within the district.

We were treated to a delicious carvery meal followed by an array of desserts.  (We based our dessert choice on what we thought we probably wouldn't eat for another year whilst we are in Africa!!).  As a result they raised a huge amount of money for the work of Mercy Ships.  The Rotary Club has a special place in many Mercy Shippers hearts as we see the countless times they have raised money to support the various projects of Mercy Ships.  Every week we are reminded of that as we hold our meetings in the International Lounge on board, which they sponsored during the ship conversion.

A big thank you to all at Barnstaple for making us feel welcome and for all that you do to support Mercy Ships and a special thank you to Brian Ross for organising the event in such a short timeline

Back on Board

TO

We're on the move. 

Again we're sorry for not much news.  We have finally arrived back on board after some time away in the USA with a short stop over in the UK.  Now we're on the move again, except this time we're actually staying on the ship.  After 4 years on board the Africa Mercy we are moving cabins.  So we are having to carry everything we have accumulated in those 4 years (A LOT!!!) down one deck to deck 5, cabin 5227 and re-organise ourselves.  Fortunately IKEA in Tenerife has also helped out with a few storage issues now that we have a little more space to spread things out.  So once we are settled I will try to update you on our trip home and our lovely new cabin and get back on track with some regular news updates.  Thanks for being patient with us as we sort our lives out!

Africa Mercy in Dry Dock

Sorry we have been a little quiet these last few months.  We have been catching up with family and friends in the USA followed by a stop over in the UK on the way back to the ship.  Meanwhile the ship has left Togo and sailed up to Gran Canaria for it's dry dock period.  Here is a video from one of our crew members, Reka, of the ship moving from sea to land

School Photo's

It's that time again for the school photo's.  We are so blessed to have a photographer's department that take the school photo's for us, free of charge.  It looks like Nathanael had quite a photo session, but I won't bore you with all 25 individual shots and 33 class shots we had of him, apparently he likes to pose alot!

The Africa Mercy Academy 

 "Serious" Pre-School Class photo

 "Silly" Pre-School Class Photo

 Contemplating?

 Smiles

 Winking

What a handsome boy!

Life is Sweet for Abel

If you've heard us speak at church, many of you might remember the story of Abel with the backward legs (also featured briefly in this post blog: Abel post 2010 ).  Now we are back in Togo, Mercy Ships has been able to also follow up on past patients and recently we had Abel return for a check up on his legs.  It is so good to hear how they are doing so here is a story written by one of our journalists on board about his return.

Abel Dalome was beaming. He and his father, Koudjo, were enjoying a quiet moment together in the Mid-Ships Café onboard the Africa Mercy hospital ship. Just over two years had passed since Abel had received free medical care from Mercy Ships to correct a severe misalignment in both of his legs. In fact, both of his legs had turned completely backward at the knees. Now, Abel was back at Mercy Ships for a routine check-up. Koudjo was thrilled. He only had good news to report about his son’s progress. He disclosed that on the journey to the ship, Abel had declared, “I will tell them that my life is sweet!”

Koudjo described the amazing transformation in his son’s life. “Before Mercy Ships, we thought that our son would only know pity. We worried that he would not have a life to do something good. And everybody told us that this would never change. But Abel’s life did change. After Abel recovered from the surgery, there was a satisfaction I cannot describe. Now, Abel will go on to do many good things.”

At that moment, Abel’s face lit up with a wide smile as he watched a very special friend appear at his side. Nurse Anna Parthun had tended to Abel during his hospital stay in 2010. When Abel suffered from an infection in one of his legs, Anna showered Abel with even more care. “My mission was to get at least one smile out of Abel every day. The funny faces I drew on inflated surgical gloves always worked best!” she said with a smile.

Now, looking at such a grown-up boy, Anna took notice of the wonderful change in Abel. “He has a new confidence, and his personality is so bright. Just like other boys his age, he is outgoing and energetic. I am so grateful to see how readily he likes to smile. No more need for surgical balloons,” she observed with satisfaction.

Abel shared news with Anna about his activities since returning home after his surgery. “I am going to school, and I walk there all by myself. I am so happy for that. I go to my grandfather’s farm and to the market. I can do all of these things on my own,” he reported joyfully. Abel also confirmed that he was still active in his favorite hobby, playing soccer with his friends in the village.

Mercy Ships volunteer physiotherapist Joanne Gates then took Abel under her tender wing for his follow-up examination. “I examined Abel to determine the progress he has made since surgery. We are especially interested in assessing his strength, range of motion and quality of walking, as well as finding out if he is experiencing any problems. I was pleased that Abel had progressed so well within his limitations,” she explained.

Joanne also arranged for Abel to have x-rays taken of his legs to confirm that all had healed well internally. The x-rays were e-mailed to Dr. Frank Haydon, who had performed Abel’s surgery. Dr. Frank replied joyfully, “Abel’s x-rays look good. His protruding bone is just a product of the necessary surgery because there was such an extreme angulation in the femur. So, we have a very positive outcome here!”

Abel’s dear friend Anna was ecstatic. “Seeing Abel was the highlight of my service with Mercy Ships this time. To be here to witness how he has grown up is a blessing. And now, I know that, in every detail, Abel’s surgery is a permanent success. I thank God, in His grace, mercy and love, for these gifts,” she said.

As Abel and his father departed from the Mercy Ships HOPE Center, where they stayed for their follow-up visit, Koudjo spoke of how he has decided to show his gratitude for all that Mercy Ships has done for his son. “I bring people to Mercy Ships who need help. I brought one person with a tumor, and I will bring my sister’s baby who has a cleft lip. I do this in my own car and with no charge to them,” he explained.

Koudjo has turned his gratitude into acts of compassion. With his help, others will experience the medical care offered by Mercy Ships, and their lives – like Abel’s – will become sweet again.

Story by Joanne Thibault
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell and JJ Tiziou

Dr Leo

On 10 February 2012, Mercy Ships welcomed Dr. Leo Cheng onboard the Africa Mercy for his ninth visit.  We always enjoy a vist from Leo, he seems to cheer up a room the moment he walks in, plus he is always blessing us with some delicious cheese or chocolate from home.   His self-described “boyish madness” is a wonderful spirit-raiser for patients and crew alike.

 Originally, it took quite a determined effort to convince Dr. Leo – an oral, maxillofacial, head and neck surgeon in the United Kingdom – to sign on as a Mercy Ships volunteer. Around 2001 his priorities were 2.2 kids, the investment account and his mortgage. In his mind, working for Mercy Ships was for Mother Teresa. But this didn’t deter Lord Ian McColl, who had his sights set on recruiting Dr. Leo to accompany him to the Mercy Ships field service in Benin, West Africa.

Dr. Leo recalls the “tipping point” fondly: “I received a call from Lord McColl’s office one day, asking me to please hurry and get my yellow fever vaccination. Lord and Lady McColl needed me to go to Benin with them. I was totally dazed at first. But then I put away my secular world excuses and recanted. I made the needed arrangements and began my Mercy Ships service.”

That experience changed Dr. Leo’s life. He saw how volunteers came to Mercy Ships because of their love for people and for each other. And then there was Dr. Gary Parker. He had never met anyone more Christlike. His model of hope and healing was something he had not experienced in his First World setting. His compassion showed him that he also had something he could offer the poorest of the poor.”

Dr. Leo Cheng discusses the successful outcome of a thyroid surgery.

Dr. Leo acknowledges how important the support of his family has been to contributing two of his five weeks of annual vacation to be on the surgical roster for Mercy Ships. His wife Hilary and his daughter Kat have both accompanied him to the Africa Mercy to contribute their volunteer skills as well. (His younger daughter Zoe is also planning to serve on the ship.) When Dr. Leo’s annual onboard service is over, he returns to London and immediately starts work on his second Mercy Ships mission. Dr. Leo patiently and persistently convinces the manufacturers of the latest surgical equipment to contribute returned demonstrator units and one-generation-prior models to Mercy Ships.

He feels that it is a real privilege that when he is not serving on the ship physically he can fulfill another mission he feels that God has for him. He persuades the companies to contribute machines that he knows would be very helpful to him, Dr. Gary, and the other surgeons coming from all over the world. When this equipment is on the ship, any surgeon from Australia, New Zealand, America or Canada will feel like they are going from home to home while on Mercy Ships.

 

 

For the Togo 2012 Field Service, Dr. Leo secured four pieces of important surgical equipment from Ethicon Endo-Surgery, including a fully outfitted Harmonic Scalpel. The Harmonic Scalpel is a wonderful blessing for all thyroid surgeons who routinely must contend with removing the extremely large goiters that are commonplace in West Africa. This instrument is like a pair of blunt scissors with ultrasound waves at the tip. When we have to cut vessels behind a very large goiter, we need to avoid bleeding so we can see the surgical area. The Harmonic Scalpel makes the cut, while at the same time it seals the ends of the blood vessels. This greatly reduces the risk of complications – like inadvertently damaging a nerve which would cause hoarseness. The Harmonic Scalpel also does its job very quickly. This reduces surgery time and the risk of complications. Dr. Leo was also pleased that the Ethicon Endo-Surgery donation included other helpful items for the OR toolkit. Now there are some very good additions to call upon.

Dr. Leo Cheng performs thyroid surgery using the Harmonic Scalpel.

The Nerve Stimulator can differentiate a blood vessel from a nerve, which is especially important when cutting into obscured surgical areas.

Dr. Leo Cheng uses the Neurosign 100 Laryngeal Nerve Stimulator, an equipment donation he arranged from Magstim

Tissue Patches, a specialized synthetic cellotape, will be used for patching over a multitude of tiny blood leaks in the surgical area to prevent a major leak from developing.

Multiple small leaks in the tissues surrounding the thyroid surgical area will be effectively stopped by the Tissue Patch 3 rapid barrier

And everyone will find the Braidlock helpful. This is a new clamping device to hold drainage tubes securely and safely in place, eliminating the need for tubes to be surgically stitched into place.

Post-surgery drainage tubing is safely and securely in place with the Braidlock line fixation device.

Dr. Leo co-authors scholarly research articles on the topic of thyroid surgery. He takes the time, while onboard, to make this knowledge accessible to everyone. His evening lectures inform and educate the crew. His gift for lightheartedness makes a complex topic understandable and enjoyable. He also weaves a compelling and encouraging message about faith into his presentation. The gentle humility in Dr. Leo’s heart is evident as he reflects on his contribution to Mercy Ships over the years: “There is so much saintly work going on here. While I am here for these two weeks, l want to bottle up all of the holiness into jars and release it in my OR back home. This ship is filled with gems – all precious cargo.”

And, one of brightest and kindest gems onboard the Africa Mercy every year is Dr. Leo.  It was only a few years ago that Sharon's parents were on their way to New Zealand.  Whilst waiting in an airport they noticed a man wearing Mercy Ships shirt!  Out of curiousity they went and talked to the man, it was Dr. Leo.  So even when he's not here, he's wearing it!

Leo, we look forward to seeing you again in Guinea.