by Brenda van Straten | Jan 22, 2024 | Patient Stories
In 2015, in an operating room on board the floating hospital of the Africa Mercy®, the course of Vanya’s life changed. Until then, the 11-year-old had spent her childhood challenged by windswept legs that curved sideways. The condition – often caused by a combination...
by Brenda van Straten | Sep 7, 2023 | News, Patient Stories
There was much excitement on board the Global Mercy™ recently as a young woman named Hawa climbed up the gangway. Hawa, an aspiring nurse from Sierra Leone, had never set foot on this brand-new hospital ship. But she has walked this swaying path over the water before....
by Brenda van Straten | Jun 14, 2023 | Patient Stories
The patient’s blood was A+, and she was going to need a lot more of it. Mercy Ships volunteer anesthesiologist Dr. Brian Barki and his team knew this for certain. As they gathered for a morning huddle on board the Global Mercy®, docked in Dakar, Senegal, they began to...
by Brenda van Straten | Nov 16, 2022 | Patient Stories
When Binta brought her four-year-old granddaughter Adama to Mercy Ships for a cleft lip surgery, the mother shared her deep gratitude. “We are so grateful to be here, and that Adama will be able to go to school healed. The village that loves her already will...
by Brenda van Straten | May 23, 2022 | Patient Stories
This shouldn’t be Gisele’s story, but it is. In 1993 Gisele was 28 years old, married, and expecting a baby. Following a miscarriage with her first pregnancy, this baby was perhaps even more precious. She was elated with the anticipation of motherhood...
by Brenda van Straten | May 2, 2022 | Patient Stories
Assiatou’s Mercy Ships physical therapist remembers the moment she knew the 18-year-old was serious about her recovery. “She had her hair all done and was wearing a beautiful dress — and tennis shoes,” said volunteer Timica. Assiatou walked with a...
