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...
Children
Videos
Every patient has a name, a face, and a story and Mercy Ships transforms their lives by providing free surgery and medical care.
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Children
Posts
Finding Light in the Darkness: Umu’s Story
Have you ever met someone whose eyes dance when they talk? That’s the very first thing everyone notices when they encounter 3-year-old Umu. Her aunt, Fatmata, has always been amazed by Umu's effortless ability to make friends, regardless of where she goes. “She’s a...
From Crewmember to Caregiver
Ngordy Sow was working as a national interpreter with Mercy Ships in his home country of Senegal when he received his next assignment. He was asked to care for a new patient, a young boy named Mamadou, who was on board the Africa Mercy® to receive surgery for a...
Meet Amadou, the First Patient to Receive Surgery on the Global Mercy™
The world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy™ , is projected to serve 150,000 patients over the next five decades – and it all begins with Amadou, a 4-year-old with a windswept leg and bowed leg from southern Senegal. With an orthopaedic...
Emmanoel – Childs Health Tumour
If not for his surgery this morning, Elodie’s son, Emmanoel, would have died by suffocation before his third birthday. A tumor in his mouth cut off his airway to the point that he was passing out three times a day. Emmanoel’s shallow and labored breathing sounded like...
Delamou – Child’s Health Facial
There is an imaginary line that goes down the middle of Delamou’s face. It is the line between his “good side” and his “bad side,” between beauty and stigma. On the right is a sweet seven-year-old-boy-smile, and on the left is an area of tissue between his eye, nose...




