The tumour on 38-year-old Fidisoa’s back started out just like a tiny pimple… then it turned into a lump… and eventually grew to the size of a fist. Before long, the tumour had grown to such a size that when Fidisoa wore a shirt, any onlooker would have assumed he carried a backpack underneath.
Now 53, Fidisoa has come a long way, having spent the last 15 years of his life shadowed by the massive tumor on his back – but he’s always remained determined to find a solution.
“I went to three different hospitals and was operated upon three times,” he said, explaining he had received surgeries in local hospitals in Madagascar in 2015, 2018, and 2021. But the surgeries had not led to lasting healing. “After each operation, it would grow back again.”
The tumour was not only a literal physical burden, but also a financial one, causing Fidisoa to spend his life savings pursuing treatment.
“The first surgery was 600,000 Ariary (about $135 USD) since the tumour was small. The second surgery was 1,300,000 Ariary ($290 USD) and the third surgery was 5,000,000 Ariary ($1,250 USD).”
“The first and second surgeries were paid for using all the money I had worked and saved over the years.” Then, in order to pay for his third surgery in 2021, Fidisoa took on a new contract abroad to raise the final funds he needed – all of which was spent on the treatment.
As a builder and rice farmer, Fidisoa’s livelihood required a high level of manual labour, which became increasingly challenging as the weight of the tumour limited his ability to remain physically active for long periods at a time. He couldn’t even sleep on his back for long before being in pain. Yet his high spirits wouldn’t let him sit idle. A family man with three children (25, 22, and 5 years old), Fidisoa felt driven to continue working hard in the fields and providing for his loved ones.
After 15 years of living with the growing tumour, hope finally came in the form of a news announcement.
“I heard of Mercy Ships on the news, but at the time, I didn’t know how to get selected,” he admitted. When Mercy Ships returned to Madagascar in 2024, Fidisoa was able to be seen by the volunteer medical team and was welcomed on board the Africa Mercy® to receive his long-awaited surgery.
The day Fidisoa finally boarded the hospital ship was unforgettable – for more reasons than one. “Today, June 6, is my 53rd birthday and to be going in for free surgery tomorrow is like the best birthday gift I have ever received. The nurses here are so kind and even sang a happy birthday song for me,” Fidisoa shared.
After the four-hour surgery, Fidisoa’s family, including his wife, daughter, and sister, were all waiting for him outside the operating room. They were elated to see that the tumour was gone!
“They were amazed at how different I looked,” Fidisoa said with a smile. “Thank you to all the loving, humble people at Mercy Ships and to everyone who made this possible.”
Dr. Tertius Venter, a volunteer reconstructive plastics surgeon from South Africa, was among the team who operated on Fidisoa in a procedure called a back hibernoma excision. He said that the tumour, a soft lobular fibroma weighing 5 kilograms (11 lbs.), was now gone for good. After past surgeries, regrowth occurred because not all abnormal tissue was removed. “In his case, we spent quite a lot of time because it [abnormal tissue] also infiltrated into his muscles, so we had to go thoroughly and find every bit and remove it as far as we could. We have removed it completely now,” explained Dr. Venter.
Finally free from the weight he’d long carried, Fidisoa would now be able to live a normal life!
After his healing journey was complete, Fidisoa was filled with fresh ideas for the future. Without the physical limitations of his tumour, the work that had long been challenging now felt like a new beginning.
“I look forward to getting back to work immediately on the farm where I grow rice. I intend to fix an old motorbike I have back home and use that to supply sacks of rice to my customers. Maybe with time, I will travel to the Comoros Islands to do construction work, but for now, I’ll stay in Madagascar,” he said with optimism.
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