The first surgeries on board the Global Mercy hospital ship in Tema, Ghana were to
begin September 8th in the early morning. Before getting straight to work, the entire
Mercy Ships crew joined together to pray over the surgeons. Captain Taylor Perez
led that ship wide prayer from the ICU:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. This morning, with grateful hearts,
we gather together to dedicate the official start of surgeries to you. Help us to be a
manifestation of your love to the patients, their caregivers, and to each other…”
Captain Taylor’s prayer brought a moment of peace for the crew before it was time
for the crew to bring peace themselves to the Ghanaian patients waiting outside at
the dock. 59-year-old cataracts patient Samuel was the first to come aboard and
receive it.
Samuel is a mechanic fitter from Kumasi, a city in the Ashanti region of central
Ghana. He is a loving father to five children, the youngest of whom is just seven
years old, and has been raising them alone since his wife passed away. A year ago,
Samuel suffered another travesty when he lost his vision to cataracts. “Now I’m
unable to do anything,” he lamented. “Not even work, see at night, or see properly
during the day.”
As he waited for the surgeons to lead him into theater, Samuel expressed his
excitement for the restoration that cataract surgery will bring to his life: “I will be
happy to be the first person to receive the surgery and see properly! I will be able to
testify of the works of Mercy Ships—they’ve done well!”
Pediatric orthopedic surgeries were proceeding as well. Volunteer Ward Nurse
Educator Sandra-Abigail Adzayi enjoyed welcoming some of the ship’s youngest
patients on board for their life-changing operations. “Honestly, it’s a very special
moment for me,” she shared. “Coming back to my own country after I’ve been living
for the past 20 years plus in Switzerland, it’s just a privilege. I’m very, very excited to
be able to contribute and be working with Mercy Ships’ mission for my own people!”
One of the first orthopedic surgeries to take place was for five-year-old Joseph, who
was born with knock knees. His family first noticed his legs were different when he
was starting to walk at age 18-months. “When my son turned three, I suggested he
started schooling,” recounted his mother, Gloria. “But my husband’s response was,
‘he will be mocked and laughed at because, even in the community we live in, he is
being laughed at by both adults and kids and always comes crying to me.’”
“[The surgery] is good for him,” she rejoiced. “Being here gives him hope that his
legs will be fixed and he can finally go to school!”
Joseph and Samuel are just the beginning. During the Ghana field service, Mercy
Ships expects to provide more than 2,000 life-changing surgeries at no cost to
patients. The team of medical professionals on board the
Global Mercy is confident that they can deliver safe, free surgeries to the best of their God-gifted abilities.
Together, with the help of partners and donors, they will help this dream of a life
forever changed become reality for many Ghanaians.