After long time...

'After long time'...a few email titles I've received from friends back in Africa. It's been just over 2 months now since returning home - sometimes it feels alot longer. It's amazing how you can adjust so quickly to being somewhere then everything changes again. Not a day goes by I don't think back to the previous 7 months. Definitely have moments of missing Togo & the ship. Work - kids running/screaming on the ward, drool hanging from maxillo-facial patients mouths, translators breaking out into singing and drumming each shift, spending time with patients, hearing testimonies. Life on the ship - community, hanging out with your coworkers, movie nights in the cabin, community meeting, football (soccer), volleyball at the hospitality centre, eating supper out on deck 8 overlooking the ocean, going on weekend getaways, afternoons at the market, mango smoothies. Hanging with the translators - ice cream, eating adamae/acumae at a local restaurant, playing card on the ward. So many good memories to cherish!

I've been wanting to post more from Togo since I've returned home, but with life getting in the way unfortunately, it was kinda left on the back burner. So here I am a day before I leave for Niger, procrastination at it's finest...quickly trying to post a few more things and bring a bit of closure to Togo.

Starting with the last entry about Lovelace...she ended up passing away on July 27th - she's in a much better place now - able to run and jump with no pain and...no tumors!!

I want to introduce you to a few patients I had the opportunity to work with. The stories I'm posting are from the communications department on the ship.

Lawson

Lawson is a gentleman I met at the first day of screening. It was great getting to know him and seeing him from screening, surgery, post op, and followup appointments on the ship.

His gentle eyes betrayed his desperate hope. ? I came here so I could get help ,? said Lawson, struggling to speak clearly. A large growth stretched his mouth and cheeks horribly, causing his teeth to stick out in all directions. It had been growing for four years, inhibiting his breathing, eating, and speech ? and, eventually, his ability to work.
The tumor destroyed his life, separating him from everyone and everything he loved. The people in his village would not sell him food because they said he was a devil. His wife left him, leaving behind their three children. Without work or food, he could not provide for his family.
So, Lawson, once one of Ghana's most prominent football (soccer) players, now hid inside his house.
Then, a radio announcement said that a hospital ship, the Africa Mercy , would soon be coming to Togo, offering surgeries free of charge. Daring to hope, Lawson left his children in his mother's care and went to the patient screening.
Lawson was literally at the brink of death as the tumor slowly suffocated him. He was immediately admitted to the hospital ship, with surgery the next day. It took three doctors eight hours to remove the benign growth and repair his nose, upper lip, and cheek. The large amount of blood required during surgery was donated by crew members.
Lawson was overjoyed when he touched the bandages on his cheek ? the tumor was gone! There will be more surgeries within the next year to complete the reconstruction of his face, but the immediate result saved and restored his life.
Unable to hold back tears of joy, a delighted Lawson exclaimed, ?I can't believe what has happened to me. It is a miracle! My way was crooked, but now my way is straight. Now, I am a man!?
Lawson can hardly wait to surprise his family with his transformation. He is anxious to eat real food again ? especially his mother's ademe, a stew made with legumes, fish and red oil. Then he will think about starting his new life.
He has photos of what he looked like before surgery and after. ?I want to show pictures to everybody, so people can see what Mercy Ships did for me. Everybody who sees me, they will be surprised,? he grinned. ?I survived! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!?

Written by Elaine B. WinnEdited by Nancy PredainaPhotos by: Debra Bell