Menisco went home from the Africa Mercy with a new smile
He was born with a cleft lip in Madagascar, and for seven years he told anyone who teased him that it would be fixed one day.
A cleft lip can be repaired in a single operation. Without access to surgery, it is carried for a lifetime.
Seven years of being stared at
Menisco was born with a cleft lip in Madagascar. Children who are born with one are often kept at home, and those who are not learn early what it is to be looked at rather than spoken to.
His mother Julia had been told that surgery existed. She had not been told where to find it, or how a family like theirs might afford it.
One operation, aboard the Africa Mercy
Cleft lip repair is among the most straightforward procedures Mercy Ships surgeons perform. It takes a single operation, and it changes how a child is treated for the rest of their life.
Menisco went home with a new smile, and with a mother who now talks about what he will do rather than what he has endured.
I always said it would be fixed one day.
Mercy Ships - five quick facts
- Free surgery since 1978 - Mercy Ships has operated hospital ships providing surgical care at no cost to the patients we serve.
- Two hospital ships - the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy, each carrying a complete surgical hospital.
- Built for the work - the Global Mercy is the world's largest civilian hospital ship, with six operating rooms and 200 patient beds.
- Crewed by volunteers - around 200 different roles, filled by people from roughly 60 countries who are not paid for their service.
- Invited, not imposed - every field service is agreed with a national government, and training local healthcare professionals is part of it.
