and the television humming in the distance. It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was in Africa, on a ship, serving the
poorest of the poor. I’m trying to figure out how to compile a year of events into a 2 page newsletter! How do I adequately
express all of my experiences, emotions, ups and downs? I will say that throughout it all, one common thread remains: God is
sovereign. I marvel at all the work that was done, all that the hospital accomplished and the lives that God has healed and transformed.
Every year, Mercy Ships docks in West Africa. During the first few weeks of docking 5,000 people come to the ship from all
over Benin looking for medical assistance. Our goal is to successfully perform such surgeries as removing hernias, goiters,
and large facial tumors. Perform cataracts, reconstructing cleft lips, cleft palates, orthopedic deformities, VVF (vesico vaginal
fistula) and burn contractures surgeries for both children and adults. After our screening, we distribute an appointment card
with a date to each qualified applicant for them to come back to the ship for surgery. In 2009, we conduct about 6500
successful surgeries. Here are a few of my favorite stories:
Orthopedic Surgery - Elise and Elise′: This brother and sister were the highlight of my first
few months on the ship. They both had severe bow legs and needed surgical correction as
the more they grew, the less they’d be able to walk. Both came to the ship quiet, timid and
unsure. Their surgeries and recovery took about a week and they were both completely
physically and emotionally transformed. Following the surgery, they started engaging with the
staff and soon were running up to me, crawling on my lap and trying to type on the computer.
Elise` egged his sister on and encouraged her play too. They were the epitome of what
carefree children should be and I was glad to be a part of it.
Max Fax - Alba: This 6 year old little girl walked into
our ward with a rag over her face and her eyes
downcast. She would not look anyone in the eye. She
ate facing the wall and with no one around her. She slept with a rag over her mouth.
She had a soft ball sized tumor on the base of her mouth that has been growing for
years. She drooled constantly and the tumor had a foul odor. Dr. Gary removed the
tumor in an uncomplicated operation. However, the change in this little girl was
remarkable. At first she still kept the rag over her mouth. But as we continually
encouraged her to look in the mirror to reinforce that the tumor was gone the more
confident she became. I still remember walking into the ward and having her grin at me.
No rag, just all smiles!
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Feeding program - Hubert: A majority of the surgeries we perform onboard are to babies who have cleft lips and palates.
When a baby is born with cleft he or she has a difficult time feeding. The cleft makes it
almost impossible to form the seal around the nipple and breast feed. Some Mom’s
manually express milk and feed the baby from a cup or a spoon, however, the baby is
usually underweight and malnourished. Hubert was one such baby. He arrived with his
mom and older sister Pauline at just 6.6 pounds at 6 months old. Our first goal was to set
him up on a feeding program to bring his weight up and strengthen his body to prepare him
for surgery which he did successfully. As nurses, we were actually a bit more worried about
his older sister Pauline. She didn’t laugh, didn’t smile, and didn’t play. Her mom hardly
interacted with her. On Hubert’s discharge date he got a fever and remained in our care.
Unfortunately, he stopped gaining weight, developed a rash and a high fever due to the
measles. Sadly, baby Hubert went to be with Jesus. The reason this story touched me is
that even though Hubert died, God restored his family. His mom began to bond to his sister
Pauline and love on her as a result Pauline began to smile and play. Hubert’s father came
to visit while his son was dying and proclaimed Hubert as his son, something he had never
done before due to his cleft lip. In Africa death is not a failure, it is simply part life however,
and this family left the ship closer due to the loss of their little boy.
VVF- Ramatou: Ramatou came to us from the North part of Benin. A lot of the VVF we
perform come from the north part of Benin due to the limited access of medical care in the rural
areas of Benin. Ramatou was Muslim and her husband left her after their baby died during
childbirth. She developed a large VVF due to the baby pushing on her pelvis during delivery
which results in the death of the infant. Unfortunately, her first VVF surgery repair was
unsuccessful however; she returned for a second round of surgeries and then started working
as our translator. She has since decided to follow Christ and her joyful smile is exuberant. She
is always smiling, loves to sing and worship, and is an encouragement to the other ladies on
the ship.
Eyes - Desiree: Eye surgery is the most common surgery performed on the ship. Most patients come
to the ship for cataract removal however; the following story was a rare but miraculous event. This little
boy was only 3 hours old when I met him. He had been born at a local hospital in the area and it was
immediately evident that there was something wrong with his eyes. His Grandma knew that there was
a ship that was performing eye surgery so she took the baby from the hospital, hopped on the back of a
motorcycle and took a 45 minute ride to the ship. Upon her arrival, one of our eye surgeons
immediately corrected his inverted eye lids which had resulted from an infection in the womb. We sent
him on back to his Mama to be fed and looked after. He came back to the ship a few weeks later for a
follow-up and now has normal vision.
Plastics - Christian: Christian came to us for a burn contracture. He had burned his leg in a cooking
fire and when the skin healed it had scared and shrank. As a result, he had limited mobility in his leg.
Dr. Tertius released the contracture and grafted the skin to allow Christian to walk normally. This was
crucial to Christian and many African men as it allows them the ability to work and provide for their
families. During his visit to the ship, he learned a little English. We taught him to read, write and do
basic math. By the time he left the ship he was helping the nurses and translating for us. He told us
that his goal was to learn enough English to come to Togo next year and be a full-time translator!
General-Goiters and Hernias: We performed 1,161 general surgeries. Since these patients have a
short stay, we often don’t get to know their stories. However, one of the patients I will never
forget is Frank. Frank had a large umbilical hernia repair and afterwards was on a morphine drip
and was very sleepy. I was working nights in our B ward and he was recovering in our D ward. I
was in charge that night and got a call that Frank’s blood pressure was dropping and his heart
rate was increasing. He continued to become unstable during the night and I called all the
doctors on call. We tried everything medically available but were not able to stabilize him as a
result; we were watching him die before our eyes. Dr. Bruce decided to open his abdomen. Once
the abdomen was open, a large amount of fluid came out and miraculously, his blood pressure
came up and heart rate began to come down. There had been so much fluid in his belly that it
was pushing on is vena cava and preventing blood from getting to the heart. We took him back
to the OR to close his belly and he was discharged less than a week later. God is good!
These are just some of my experiences from my time in Benin and the people and memories that have touched my
life. On January 13th I am heading back to Tenerife, where the ship is currently docked and then sail onto Togo until
August 2010. Thank you for your interest in what God is doing in my life. Thank you so much for your support both
financially and emotionally, for your encouragement and prayers throughout the year. If you feel led to support me
financially this upcoming year, you can do so either through a one-time or monthly donation. You can make a
donation through this website www.mercyships.org by clicking on make a gift > crewmates > search under Dix >
contribute now. Or you can mail a check to Mercy Ships to PO Box 2020, Lindale TX 75771. Note: Please make
the check out to Mercy Ships but do not include my name on the check. Instead, include a note with my name and
my ID number: 2495. Thank you again and God bless!
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