THE GIFT OF LIFE-THE REASON I AM HERE!

God is at work healing patients through our skilled surgeons and through Jesus's love and compassion expressed through our crew.  Patients continue to come to us in near death situations.

Lawson came to us bearing the burden of a very large tumor that consumed the left side of his cheek and the inside of his mouth.  He arrived on the ship with little time to live. The tumor was spreading through out his whole face and into his brain and beginning to block his breathing passage. Praise God our doctors were able to save this man's life.

In all the years I have served on this ship, Lawson was one of the most thankful patients I have witnessed. By the grace of God, he recovered very quickly after a very long and serious surgery.  After a few days he was hugging medical staff, praising and thanking those that nursed and cared for him.  His testimony brought so much hope to the other patients in the ward that were a little apprehensive as they waited overnight to have their surgery.  He left the ship with the biggest broadest and brightest smile...a SMILE he was not able to produce previously because of the large tumor that engulfed his face and mouth.

His joy and celebration brought tears to my eyes. This man truly received the GIFT OF LIFE!  Upon his discharge, I escorted him down the gangway and along the dockside. He flowed with thanks giving and gave handshakes to everyone he passed as he exited the port.  Lawson touched the hearts of many with his joyful spirit and will to live.  A man transformed by love and compassion.

He was given a new life and I was blessed by his spirit to live.   This is the reason I am here!

“I came here so I could get help,” said Lawson, with as much clarity as he could muster. His gentle eyes betrayed his desperate hope.  A large growth stretched his mouth and cheeks horribly, causing his teeth to stick out in all directions. It had been growing for four years, inhibiting his breathing, eating, and speech, and eventually, his ability to work. The people in his village would not sell him food because they said he was a devil.  This once prominent football (soccer) player had to hide himself inside his house.  His wife left him, leaving behind their three children. Without work or food, he could not provide for his family. Life had become misery.
    
Then, he heard an ad on the radio for Mercy Ships. It said that the hospital ship Africa Mercy would soon be coming to Togo, offering surgeries free of charge. He thought they might be able to help him, and he realized it could be his only hope. Leaving his children in his mother’s care, he made his way to the screening.

     The tumor engulfing the lower half of his face was slowly suffocating him, bringing  him to the brink of death. He was admitted immediately, with surgery performed the next day.  It took three doctors eight hours to remove the benign growth and repair his nose, upper lip, and cheek. The large amount of blood required during surgery was donated by crew members.
     After the surgery, Lawson was overjoyed when he touched the bandages on his cheek to find the growth was gone. There will be more surgeries within the next year to complete the reconstruction of his face, but the immediate result will return him to a normal life. 

  “I can’t believe what has happened to me. It is a miracle!” he said, unable to hold back his tears of joy. “My way was crooked, but now my way is straight. Now, I am a man!”

     There will be no large family gathering as he leaves the ship. He plans to leave alone. “I want to surprise my family,” he smiled.  He is anxious to eat real food again and is especially looking forward to his mother’s ademe, a stew made with legumes, fish and red oil. Then he will think about starting his new life.

“I want to get back to work, but I have to start slow,” he said.
He plans to use photos of what he looked like before surgery and after. “I want to show pictures to everybody, so people can see what Mercy Ships did for me. Everybody who sees me, they will be surprised,” he grinned. “I survived! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!”