Fanta's Story--no not the drink

Conquering Fear: Fanta’s Story

It’s hard to work if you’re a teacher who’s afraid of children, a jockey afraid of horses, or even a nurse afraid of surgery, like 44-year-old Fanta. Despite working in the medical field for over 17 years, Fanta was too frightened to undergo surgery to remove a 10-pound Lipoma tumor under her right arm. For nearly 10 years, she learned to strategically hide the tumor under draped shawls while she worked, refusing to have surgery to remove it.
“How can I expect people to respect me as a nurse and not be scared themselves when I am too afraid to do anything about my own problem?” Fanta said.
Since she was a young girl, Fanta saw nurses at her local hospital in their uniforms taking care of people, and she knew she wanted to be a nurse, too. But, after hard work and a long journey to achieve her dream, her watermelon-sized tumor made it hard for her to wear the uniform she’d longed to wear as a girl. As the tumor grew painfully large, she knew something had to be done. However, working in the local hospital only heightened her fears of having surgery.
“My colleagues told me I would die if I tried to have it removed, and that I had left it too long,” Fanta said. “I see the surgeries, I see the blood, and I hate the thought of not being in control of my own body.”
When she heard about Mercy Ships through her hospital, she was filled with hope instead of worry. During her consultation with Mercy Ships, she felt more at ease than she had ever felt before.
“The nurses at the ship are so compassionate and loving,” Fanta said. “They kept reassuring me that everything was going to be more than okay, and something in me trusted them!”
It only took a three-hour surgery onboard the Africa Mercy for Fanta to realize how much her fear held her back for the past decade. Her lighter arm and brighter smile made her wonder why she’d waited so long.
“I can now lift my arms with ease! I will be able to dress like the other ladies at my hospital,” Fanta said. “My husband has already bought me some new fabric so I can make more dresses that show off my arms!”
For patients like Fanta, Mercy Ships removes more than just tumors. After her free surgery, Fanta’s fear and anxiety were dispelled as quickly as her hope was restored.

Story by Georgia Ainsworth
Edited by Karis Johnson
Photos by Saul Loubassa Bighonda
used with permission from Mercy Ships



To avoid scaring her patients, Fanta strategically hid the tumor under draped shawls while she worked, refusing to have surgery to remove it.



44-year-old nurse, Fanta, was afraid to undergo surgery to remove the 10-pound tumor that had been growing under her right arm for a decade.



“The nurses at the ship are so compassionate and loving,” Fanta said. “They kept reassuring me that everything was going to be more than okay—and something in me trusted them!”



"I am so thrilled to be out of surgery I can barely believe it. My arm is so light,” Fanta said. “As soon as I can, I am going to wear strappy tops to show off my new arm!"



Since she was a young girl, Fanta saw nurses at her local hospital in their uniforms taking care of people, and she knew she wanted to be a nurse, too. But, her watermelon-sized tumor meant she couldn’t fit her arm through the sleeve of her uniform. Now, she wears her scrubs with pride.



Her lighter arm and brighter smile made her wonder why she’d waited so long. “I can now lift my arms with ease!” said Fanta.

The end of 2017

Finishing Strong! As the year comes to a close, our crew onboard is reflecting on and celebrating a great first half of the Cameroon field service. It hasn't always been easy, but it has certainly proven to be worth it. We are excited about the new lives our patients are having the opportunity to embark on. And we are eagerly looking forward to what God has in store for Cameroon in 2018. Take a look below to see what's been happening onboard. Patient Milestone We are excited to share some big news with you. At 9.30am on Monday, 4 December in Cameroon, ophthalmic patient Pierre's cataract surgery became the 30,000th surgery performed on the Africa Mercy since its deployment in 2007! We're thanking God for reaching such a significant milestone, and are continuing to celebrate every life that is changed.      Ship Snippet Say hello to Elfried! Elfried is originally from Benin and is currently serving onboard as one of our IS Specialists. When asked what makes the IS team so unique, he gave the following response: "Our IS department is the best place to be. We spend our time figuring out what is wrong and how to fix it. The main thing I enjoy about my role is that I can work on several projects here...from phones and computers to printers and TVs. Having people come from all over the world means I get to work with all different kinds of devices."  Critical Needs Onboard Calling all Teachers! We are looking for educators to staff our floating Academy for the 2018-2019 school year. You can read a bit more about our onboard Academy here. In addition to teachers, we are also on the lookout for: Deck Officers IS Support Specialist Academy Principal Electricians If you are interested in any of the roles above or would like to see a job description on these, send us an email. Your details are on file with us and we can begin working on your application immediately. Lastly, be sure to like and share our brand new Mercy Ships Maritime Facebook page. This page will be bringing more maritime specific pictures, updates, and volunteers needs.

Prepared by and used with permission from Mercy Ships.

An evening of warmth

We have been observing Christmas traditions from around the world on different nights on the ship. This last Friday most of the crew took part in Carols by Candlelight. This is an Australian tradition. ( And American but maybe don't tell them)

So after dinner the crew spilled out on to the dock just as the sun was going down. It  was quite warm out as it is dry season. currently the Harmattan is blowing. 

The Harmattan is a season in the West African subcontinent, which occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by dry^[1] and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea (wikipedia)  

Fortunately it is not quite as dramatic here as the pictures below. I took these down from the Internet. But it has been quite dusty and very warm. It makes for some lovely sunsets.

So back to the dock. The sun set and the theme for my evening began to develop. I felt a warm breeze coming off the river. It was gentle and caused all the candles to flicker and dance. Some of them were extinguished by the breeze. This cause the kids to scurry about wanting to be the one to light the next candle. The music began and voices were raised. It was supposed to be Australian, but every song was comforting and familiar and reminded me of home. 

 

The tide was changing and waves were coming up the river and lapping against the ship and the dock. The sound was soothing and relaxing. Now warm wax dripped through my cup and ran down my candle and onto my fingers. It was warm and soft and hardened as it hit my skin. 

 

 

The evening sky went from twilight, to a deep blue and then to inky black. The candles danced, their light warm, lighting the face of each person holding it. The music and lyrics to the songs warming our hearts.

As we were singing O Holy night, the lyric ...He knows our need to our weakness he is no stranger, my heart and spirit were filled and I suddenly felt warm tears spilling from my eyes. I was not sad but overcome with the awe of what Jesus has done for us. How he left Heaven, left all that is perfect , right and just and came to save us. I was undone.Reread the lyrics below, hear the music in your heart, and let God fill you with the wonder of His love.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

The evening continued with more worship of our Savior and King. Another wonderful moment came when we sang Silent Night. It began with us all singing in English, then the same verses continued with different groups of crew members from different nations, singing the same song in the native language. It continued for many minutes with at least 12 different languages having the chance to sing it. It was such a lovely moment. The warmth of friendship and the bond of Christ evident in the arms embracing those around them . It was a special evening and I will remember it as one of the highlights of my Christmas in Cameroon. 

To all of you a very Merry Christmas. May this season draw you ever closer to our Savior King.  

Isaiah 9:6-7
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Meet Valerie

Valerie's tumor had been growing for 25 years. Thanks to many volunteers from around the world, and generous donors from both the business community and the private sector, she was able to  receive free surgery on board the Africa Mercy . A surgery that not only saved her life, but transformed it completely. No longer is she a social outcast. No longer condemned to live in the shadows. She has brought out into the light, by the transforming love of Christ. It is His love that motivates all we do.
 Remember Valerie.....continue to pray for her.
She has a lot to smile about these days!
And her husband is thrilled as well!

All photos courtesy of Mercy Ships photographers.Photos and story used with permission from Mercy Ships