Patient Stories
Patient
Stories
Mercy Ships Patient Stories
A New Voice of Hope
The village in Senegal that Mouhamed and his family call home isn’t even on the map. To reach it, you must follow a red dirt road for miles, before walking through open grassland...
Unleashed Potential
Aliou was just 3 years old when his blanket ignited while sitting around a fire—severely burning his upper body. As his burns healed, his arm...
Patient Ambassador
Amadou’s Story: Amadou refused to be defined by the tumor that had been growing on his face for more than 15 years. To those in his community,...
Healing Mariama’s Smile
Seven-month-old Mariama is a lively, healthy baby except for a severe cleft that strains her smile and makes eating...
Bowed Legs. Broken Dreams.
Four-year-old Mansare had struggled all his short life with a condition known as "bowed legs", which made...
An Unshakeable Smile
Saliou was too young to realize that he was different. At two years old, the little boy had no idea that his cleft lip set him apart from the...
Healing for Houssainatou
Houssainatou's childhood was defined by a painful tumor that had grown steadily in her mouth since she was a toddler...
Kadiatou’s Journey
Kadiatou didn’t understand why her hands and feet weren’t like the other children, nor did she know why her mother had to tie her shoes on with...
There’s So Much Hope to Give
Imagine living in pain and ridiculed by your community for a condition that you had no way of escaping — conditions such as bowed legs, burn...
Steps to Hope for Tene
Mariam, a successful Guinean businesswoman, was passing through a village when she spotted a group of children by the side of the road. As she...
A Bigger World
Aicha's Story: Every day at dawn, Fatmata puts her daughter Aicha onto her back and begins the early morning commute to the local market where...
Sky High Dreams
Sema's Story: For most of nine-year-old Sema’s childhood, his dreams — including his hope of one day becoming a pilot —have felt compromised by...
Finding Her Smile
Isatu's Story: For 17 years, Isatu has been plagued by the whispers of her community who seem to only see the tumor on her face. When she was...
Eye Saved. Future Restored.
Losing Her Childhood. “She was so scared,” recalls Benessa’s mother. “She says everybody laughs at her.” Because of her tumor, other kids bullied...
Legs Repaired. Life Restored.
A Family's Fight of Faith. When N’nady was 8, her older brother—who also had bowed legs—was able to receive free corrective orthopedic surgery...
