Ruth is a brilliant, warm, and well-cultured 13-year-old. She is the type of daughter who naturally
assumes care of the home and goes out of her way to ensure the comfort of everyone around. From
doing domestic chores to helping her mother make sales, she enjoys being helpful. “My daughter
loves me so much. She does not want to see me suffer,” shared her mother, Fatmata.
Her resilience is evident despite being born with a physical condition affecting her legs. Dr. Rachel
Buckingham, Orthopedics Specialty Consultant from the UK who operated on Ruth explained,
“Ruth has Blount’s disease, which just got worse and worse over time. It’s now become a very
extreme deformity to the extent that she was finding it very difficult to walk.” Blount’s disease
causes a child’s lower leg to turn inward, primarily common in early walkers.
“When I gave birth to Ruth, I never knew she had this problem until she started walking,” Fatmata
said. The people around her told her not to worry, that the legs would straighten out, but they only
continued to bend.
Dreams Put on Pause
Because of her condition, she couldn’t be as helpful as she would like. “If I don’t have sales for
the day, she will cry. She will say, ‘if I could have my legs normal, I would assist you in selling,’”
Fatmata shared. “Anytime I see my daughter like this, I feel bad.”
Ruth was a beloved but conspicuous presence in their small community. Her condition drew stares
and whispers, often fueled by superstitions. “I was so sad because some people said I’m not a
human being. Some people said I’m not supposed to go to school because of mocking,” Ruth
shared.
Konko Conteh, a national crew member from Sierra Leone, explained that children like Ruth face
frequent mockery. “People look down on them and believe it might be a curse,” he said. He also
mentioned that because of Freetown’s topography, children like Ruth have trouble getting to
school, “if you visit most schools around Freetown, the topography of the place is hilly; they are
not disability friendly.”
“When I sit down for long and want to stand up, I feel the pain,” explained Ruth. “When I stand
or walk for long, it also affects me.” The physical pain was compounded by the emotional toll of
feeling different. “I’m sad when other children, even some of my friends, are mocking me.
Sometimes when I see my friends doing something I cannot do, I feel bad because I don’t have
straight legs.” Sometimes, Ruth would even go to school with extra clothing to change into because
she was dirty when she got there.
The Search for Healing
Ruth’s legs didn’t straighten out as anticipated, so her mother sought help at a local hospital, but
the treatment failed. Afterwards, they referred them for surgery at another facility. “They asked us
to pay a huge amount of money that we couldn’t afford,” said Fatmata.
Even with no solution, Ruth remained hopeful, “I believed my daughter was going to walk straight
again because she was prayerful with strong faith,” her mother shared.
After 13 years of living with this condition, hope seemed out of reach until a cousin discovered a
video on social media of a Mercy Ships former patient with similar condition. Inspired by stories
of transformed lives, Fatmata’s hope was reignited, and she decided to register Ruth for surgery
onboard the Global Mercy™ in Sierra Leone.
A Bumpy Road to Recovery
“Left untreated, Blount’s disease can become more and more severe until the child stops growing,”
explained Dr. Buckingham. “It’s likely she would have stopped walking altogether.”
Ruth’s successful surgery was extensive, lasting nearly four hours. The surgeons corrected her
angular deformity and untwisted the legs so that her feet pointed forward. Then, they put her legs
into a plaster cast that went from the top of her thighs down to her foot.
As part of recovery and rehabilitation, “The bones take about eight to 12 weeks (approximately
three months) to heal fully,” said Dr. Buckingham. Subsequently, the casts are removed, and
rehabilitation continues for a few more weeks. But this journey took much longer for Ruth, no
thanks to an infection.
Sophia Gehring, Volunteer Operating Room Nurse from Germany, explained that “With every
surgery, complications can occur. For Ruth, she had a severe infection in her legs, “That’s why
she had to return to the OR a few times, which made recovery longer and harder for her physically
and mentally.” Ruth made seven visits to the OR and had to go into isolation for a week.
“Ruth spent the longest time in casts compared to any others. She spent 16 weeks in casts and had
at least 13 cast changes in that time,” shared Declan Osborne, a volunteer physical therapist from
Australia.
“My time on the ship was good, although I was having different challenges. I met people there that
were giving me words of courage,” Ruth shared.
Through it all, Ruth remained resilient, enduring the pain and discomfort of wearing casts for a
prolonged period. She watched other children make progress and even get discharged.
“Time and time again, Ruth dug deep. She found that resilience, that determination that lies within
her, and she pushed through,” said Declan.
Overcoming Hardship Through Faith and Determination
Every progressive point in Ruth’s rehabilitation was worth celebrating; from standing for the first
time to taking her first steps with her straight legs. In the end, her resilience paid off, “We have
Ruth out of casts with these beautiful straight legs… the straightest we have out of this field
service,” Declan explained. Ultimately, she gained about 23cm in height, and her legs are the same
length.
“I was very happy the very first day I started to stand and when Declan said, ‘you are going home,’”
Ruth explained.
Five months later, the day finally came for Ruth to go home. Loud celebration – dancing, cheering,
and singing from members of her community welcomed her home. Tears of joy and prayers of
thanksgiving soaked the air.
Filled with joy, Ruth’s father said, “Today is the best day in my family. Today is like Ruth’s
birthday. Thank God for doing this great thing for my daughter.”
“Before, I was not able to stand for myself for long without feeling tired, but now I can stand for
a very long time. I was not able to walk very far, but now I can,” Ruth shared.
Ruth’s surgery didn’t just heal her physically, it reignited her passion for achieving her dreams of
becoming a nurse. “Education is going to help my future. I want to become a nurse because I want
to help [other] people.”
Are you inspired by Ruth’s story of faith, strength, and resilience? Do you want to be a part
of the mission to bring hope and healing to the world? There are many ways to get involved!