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.