International medical charity Mercy Ships has given a 45-year-old Malagasy woman a new lease on life after surgically removing an orange-sized tumour from her jaw for free.
The surgery, performed aboard the hospital ship Africa Mercy, has transformed the life of Marie Elisa, a mother of four, who had lived with the debilitating tumour for five years.
Unable to afford the surgery, Elisa had been forced to endure severe weight loss and constant pain, which eventually prevented her from farming and left her family struggling financially.
The condition, which began as a simple toothache at age 40, grew into a relentless tumour that made it impossible for her to work in the fields or sell at the market, forcing her youngest daughter to drop out of school.
“I could no longer work in the fields or sell at the market and my daughter had to stop school because I couldn’t pay her fees,” Elisa said.
Desperate for relief, she turned to prayer and traditional healers, but the tumour continued to grow.
Though a doctor recommended surgery, the cost was far beyond her means.
In January 2024, a patient selection team from Mercy Ships was traveling across Madagascar to find patients for free surgeries.
A cyclone in northern Madagascar disrupted their plans, forcing the team to take an unplanned route.
Driving through a small village they had not intended to visit, they noticed a woman with a visible tumour walking by the market – Marie Elisa.
“We saw Marie Elisa walking through the market and three of us yelled, ‘Stop the bus!'” recalled Maddy Hartung, an Australian volunteer nurse with the team.
The team set up a temporary clinic on the village chief’s front porch to examine Elisa, explaining the possibility of free surgery.
Though initially cautious, she took a leap of faith.
“I was sick and willing to risk it – I had nothing to lose,” she said.
Emboldened by the possibility of free healthcare, Elisa mentioned that her husband, Claude, had an eye issue.
After the assessment, the team found him eligible for eye surgery. Both were ultimately scheduled for free surgeries on the Africa Mercy, albeit at separate times.
She received care from the volunteer crew onboard, including UK and US maxillofacial and head and neck surgeons Leo Cheng and Gary Parker.
“I thank God the tumour was removed and I’m healthy again. The surgery went well, and now I can eat normally without any issues,” Elisa said.
A few weeks later, it was Claude’s turn for surgery to remove a cyst from his left eye – a condition that had affected him for five years.
JN/APA