For more than a decade, Vaviroa lived with a growing goiter on her neck in a small village in Madagascar. But the physical burden was only part of her story. She was also carrying the heartbreak of losing her only son.
Eight years earlier, her only son disappeared. Police and members of her community searched for days, but he was never found.
So Vaviroa spent her days as a farmer, struggling with both heartache and the pain brought on by the goiter. Eventually, her condition made it impossible to work, so she was forced to rely on friends and her community for support.
Bring hope and healing to women like Vaviroa
“Some people in our village give me food for my daily needs,” she said softly. “They even give me clothes.”
Despite her hardships, Vaviroa remained active in her community, encouraging those around her with the poetry she wrote.
“I love to be with people,” she said. “I love to recite poetry.”
One day, a nurse named Ester came to her house. She had heard about a hospital ship that was docking in the capital of Madagascar. This was the chance that Vaviroa had been longing for.
The journey would be long and expensive, but thankfully, Ester generously paid for Vaviroa’s transportation, ensuring that this challenge would not keep her from healing.
When Vaviroa arrived at the Africa Mercy, she was welcomed by volunteers from around the world. One volunteer, Kalinda Ramsaran, noticed another challenge Vaviroa had been living with.
“Her cane was just a stick,” said Kalinda. “And she was trying to fix her flip-flops with a tourniquet from her recent laboratory visit for blood work.”
The volunteer crew learned that Vaviroa had fallen from a tree as a child and broken her leg. It healed improperly, leaving one leg five centimeters shorter than the other.
Vaviroa arrived hoping for surgery to remove her goiter, but healing went beyond that. After surgeons successfully removed the growth, volunteers also found a solution to the walking difficulties she had lived with for years.
“Our wonderful carpenter made a wooden piece that screws onto her shoe as a compensating platform,” Kalinda shared. “If the shoe wears out, she can reattach it to another one. She should be able to use it for the rest of her life.”
Now relieved of two burdens, Vaviroa is ready to return to life with renewed freedom. “When I go back home, I’ll try to find financial support and start raising farm animals like ducks or geese to make a living.”
She also plans to visit Ester to thank her for helping make her journey possible.
As she prepared to leave the Africa Mercy, Vaviroa reflected on everything she had experienced by writing a poem for the volunteers who had cared for her:
“Those who are sick go to the hospital.
Mercy Ships is from the Lord God.
If they weren’t here, nothing would be done.
They take care of all of us. When they call, come quickly!
For Mercy Ships, the foreigners who came to Madagascar… Don’t bring rice or money because they handle everything.
Medical care is the reason we came here. So, let no one fight, but let’s stand united because Mercy Ships takes care of us.
In Toamasina, it’s wonderful. Anyone who comes here becomes well, and those healed go back home. Let it be known that it did good and well.
Thanks to Mercy Ships for their care. What a blessing you accomplished here!”