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What matters most to you? For one mum in Madagascar, the only thing that mattered was that her child survived.
Armella was born in Madagascar with a large lump behind her ear. Every day, her tumour grew. It made her body weak and drew stares from other children.
Her mum carried many burdens too: “People blame us because we don’t have the money to treat her. Like we don’t care about getting her treatment.”
Her family was desperate for answers. But like most families in Madagascar, they couldn’t afford to see a doctor – let alone pay for surgery.
Yet, her mum never gave up hope. She prayed that one day Armella could get surgery.
Her prayers were answered when Mercy Ships sailed to Madagascar.
Life-changing surgery
To her mum’s overwhelming gratitude, Armella was booked in for free surgery.
Dr Manjit Dhillon, Mercy Ships volunteer surgeon said, “Her tumour was 280g, about the weight of a large grapefruit. For a two-year-old, that’s a lot of weight to carry.”
“Over time, as the mass would have grown, she would have struggled to keep her head upright because of the weight.”
On the day of Armella’s surgery, her mum’s heart was beating fast. She stood outside the operating theatre, her hands raised, as she prayed, “Please God, please can my child be OK.”
After her surgery, Armella was recovering on her hospital bed, with a bandage wrapped around her wound.
Mum looked into her little girl’s brown eyes. The relief. Her child was OK. Years of anguish were washed away in a single moment.
“The surgery only took a few hours,” explains Dr Manjit, who volunteers with Mercy Ships. “But the outcome is life-changing for Armella.”
“Without this surgery, she would have struggled to hold her head up and would have lived on the fringes of society. Now she can enjoy going to school without getting picked on. She’s saved from a lifetime of injustice.”
A new future
Now at home, you can see something has changed in Armella. No one stares at her. She looks full of life and hope. She giggles with carefree joy as she plays with her friends.
She picks up a pencil and writes in her older brother’s schoolbook. She wants to walk in his footsteps and go to school one day.
If it wasn’t for her surgery, her parents dread to think what could have happened. “She would have been bullied and mocked by other kids,” said Armella’s dad. “She would have had a difficult time in school.”
Free from the burden of her tumour, Armella’s life has changed for good. Her mum says, “Mercy Ships is a blessing, a light and a rescue for me and Armella. When she had that condition, I suffered with her. When she recovered, I recovered too.”
A gift that lasts
Sadly, there are many more children like Armella who need medical help. Most families in Madagascar can’t afford surgery.
This winter, will you give a gift that lasts? With the gift of tumour-removal surgery, you can change a child’s life today.
But not only that – because your gift will be doubled this season. You can help provide tools and training for a healthcare provider to better serve their own communities.
Together, we can create a more hopeful world for tomorrow’s children. And it starts with your gift today.
