From Caregiver to Day-Worker

Posted by Mercy Ships staff on Jan 13, 2012 at 03:03 pm

Lamarana Shour put her life on hold to help her family. Her niece, Mariama Kamara, was scheduled for a free Mercy Ships surgery to repair her injured hand. The problem was that she needed a caregiver to accompany her throughout the entire process. So Lamarana decided to put her computer studies on hold in order to be her niece's caregiver for four months onboard the floating hospital, the Africa Mercy.

As she boarded the ship, Lamarana thought, "This ship is very big. I was worried for my niece, but I want to get onboard because it is so exciting!" Lamarana stayed on the ship for two months and in the on-land recovery facility, the HOPE Center, for another two months as her niece recovered from surgery. She enthusiastically told her niece, "With God, all things are possible!"

While taking care of her niece, Lamarana also found time to help the hospital crew by translating for other patients. She speaks several languages – Fula, Mende, Krio, Temne, English, and some French – and was a tremendous help to the nurses. Her communication skills were a great asset on the ward as patients come from all over West Africa.

Mariama's release from the hospital came on a Saturday morning. So, she and Lamarana made the trip back home. The next day, Lamarana received a phone call from Mercy Ships. To her surprise, she was asked to come back to the ship on Monday – as a day-worker. Mercy Ships hires many local West Africans to help in the operation of the ship. These day-workers help the ship operate, and many are trained in a new trade that will benefit them even after the ship leaves the country. The nurses missed Lamarana's help so much that they asked her to come back as a translator. Lamarana says, "I was so happy to get that call and to come back to the ship!"

Lamarana came back to the ship as a translator and worked five days a week in the hospital ward. She helped with patients, translated for the staff, and even cleaned the floors when she had spare time. If a patient was sad, Lamarana sang and danced for them, spreading joy throughout the ship.

Life is often interrupted when we least expect it, but this interruption was a welcome one. Lamarana was able to help the organization that changed her niece's life. And she received a blessing in return. "I have learned so many things that it has given me courage to do more," she explains.

Story by Nicole Pribbernow
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell

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