By Gerda Potgieter
When South African Mercy Ships volunteer Anne-Marie van Tonder saw a baby girl with a big lump on her neck in a children’s hospital in Freetown. Sierra Leone, she felt compelled to get her onto her ship’s surgery list.
The problem was that Memunatu, 10 months, had not been at the registration drive where patients were assessed for possible free surgery on the ship, Global Mercy, before it arrived in port. Her only chance of getting an operation was if she was referred by a doctor. Anne-Marie, a crew clinic administration assistant, was determined to try and get a referral for the ailing girl.
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Describing her first encounter with Memunatu, she said: “I saw this baby, very fragile, looking at me. It’s as if she were speaking directly into my life. It was a genuine spiritual intervention.”
The baby’s mother, Aminata, said her daughter’s neck problem had started as a small mass when she was only five months old. She was treated for a cold but the lump kept growing. Doctors said due to her age and the size of the tumour, she was not a candidate for surgery. Eventually, they arrived at a children’s hospital, where Anne-Marie saw her. Her dedication paid off when the ship’s medical team decided that — given Memunatu’s case, age, size, and results of a CT scan they performed — her condition was life-threatening and she needed help quickly.
Dr Leo Cheng, a volunteer from the UK, determined that Memunatu’s tumour was noncancerous. Still, it required critical surgery to prevent losing her ability to eat, speak, and breathe. He decided to operate, and the surgery lasted three to four hours, with anaesthesia for about five to six hours. He skillfully managed tissue to avoid blood loss and preserve vital nerves and vessels. The outcome was successful. Memunatu was placed in the ship’s ICU for post-op monitoring due to potential bleeding and airway swelling. The little girl was able to leave the ship with her mother after a while.
Baby Memunatu deeply touched all the volunteers on board Global Mercy. “When she was discharged, it was such a great joy for me to see Memunatu’s face. There was no tumour,” said Anne-Marie. “The tumour had grown so quickly, almost the size of her head, obscuring her lovely face… her eyes were so full of light and happiness”.
Mercy Ships has been serving developing countries for over 40 years through its two hospital ships, Global Mercy (currently in Sierra Leone) and Africa Mercy (currently in Madagascar). Each year, over 2 500 volunteer professionals from more than 60 countries serve aboard Mercy Ships, including surgeons, dentists, nurses, teachers, cooks, engineers, and others who dedicate their time and skills to increase access to safe surgical, obstetric, and anaesthetic care.
For more information about Mercy Ships visit www.mercyships.co.za. See a video about Memunatu’s journey at: https://share.google/cHpRLlmAuxXmdhvMG
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