Because to the selfless efforts of surgeons working onboard a ship, a woman who suffered from a huge facial tumor that rendered her unable to eat or breathe normally is now able to lead a normal life.
Mabouba’s health gradually deteriorated as she got older, and she had her first symptoms of the facial tumor when she was in her teenage years.
In 2014, the tumor had grown to such a size that it started to obstruct her oesophagus as well as her windpipe. As a result, she was unable to swallow anything larger than little pieces of rice, egg, and bread, and she had trouble breathing when she slept.
Unfortunately, emergency surgery in Ghana could not assist the 29-year-old woman, who came perilously close to passing away while she was being treated there.
But things have changed for the better with the introduction of the humanitarian organization known as Mercy Ships, which offers medical assistance to those in need.
Mercy Ships runs the biggest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, which travels to over 57 impoverished countries and transports hundreds of volunteer medical professionals. Since its founding in 1978, the charitable organization with its roots in Christianity has carried out over 100,000 life-saving operations and educated 42,000 local medical professionals and nurses in contemporary practices. throughout the time when the ship was docked.
“I remember when I woke up I was completely transformed,” Mabouba remarked of her experience after the dream. “I had become a different person.”
Her family had already solicited financial assistance from her aunts, grandparents, and cousins in order to send Mabouba to Ghana for an emergency procedure; but, upon her arrival in Ghana, she was told that some of her teeth would need to be extracted prior to the completion of the surgery; this operation was a disaster.
The family then found out that the medical ship Africa Mercy would be docking in Togo, and that they would be able to meet Mabouba while she was there.
She said, “During that time, my thoughts were constantly going back to the tumor.” “Day and night, I was unable to concentrate on anything else.”
As soon as they were on board, the surgeons made the decision to do all in their power to save her, and after nine hours of surgery, they were able to successfully remove the tumor.
After a year of living in constant fear that he may not make it, a miracle baby who was born prematurely and was only the size of an iPhone came home for Christmas.
Mabouba and her daughter Moustassira in the courtyard of her sister’s home in Lome, Togo. See SWNS story SWOCtumour. A mum whose massive facial tumour left her barely able to eat or breathe is now living a normal life – after having it removed on a hospital ship funded by a global charity. Mabouba, 29, from Togo, West Africa first noticed the facial tumour in her teenage years, and as she grew older her condition rapidly worsened. Her tumour was getting larger with every week that passed, and, by 2014, it was so big that it had began to block her oesophagus and windpipe. Unable to swallow more than little bits of rice, eggs and torn-up morsels of bread, Mabouba, began to starve.
Mabouba is a seamstress at her own tailor business now, in addition to being a mother to a girl who is five years old. She also just recently celebrated her wedding to a guy she met one day outside of a bank, and according to her, it was love at first sight.
“When I was younger, I had the misconception that I was not attractive and that I would never get married. If I hadn’t gone through with this procedure, I’m not sure what would have become of me in the future.
(L-R) Mabouba before and after the removal of her facial tumour. See SWNS story SWOCtumour. A mum whose massive facial tumour left her barely able to eat or breathe is now living a normal life – after having it removed on a hospital ship funded by a global charity. Mabouba, 29, from Togo, West Africa first noticed the facial tumour in her teenage years, and as she grew older her condition rapidly worsened. Her tumour was getting larger with every week that passed, and, by 2014, it was so big that it had began to block her oesophagus and windpipe. Unable to swallow more than little bits of rice, eggs and torn-up morsels of bread, Mabouba, began to starve.