Patient Stories
Patient
Stories
Mercy Ships Patient Stories
Hope Shines Through
When she was just a baby, her parents noticed a small lump growing above her left eye. By the time she was 5 years old...
Most Likely to Succeed
When she was a child, Marie Madeleine developed a muscle contracture in her leg. As she continued to grow, her knee hyperextended backward...
A Lifetime of Change
Fatimata’s Story: Khady, 18-years-old, is the youngest child in a big family and hopes to one day have a large family of her own. “At least...
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...
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...
