Dakar, Senegal – A four-year-old girl whose birth defect saw her mother frightened into leaving her at birth has received transformational surgery, thanks to a surgical charity.
When Adama was born in a remote part of central Senegal, West Africa, her mothers joy at her firstborn was quickly replaced by fear when she saw she had a cleft lip.
Believing the condition was her fault and afraid she wouldnt be able to properly care for Adama, she left the newborn in her parents care.
Adamas grandmother, Binta, battled to feed Adama successfully at first due to her cleft lip, a common issue for many babies born with the condition that can leave them struggling with malnutrition.
But Binta kept trying until she was strong enough to survive and despite the challenges, her grandparents never gave up.
As Adama grew, she was afraid to play with other children as they would often look and laugh at her. Instead, she decided to stay close to her grandparents, where she felt safe.
Her grandfather Issa said: She would always watch us as we did our work. She was always curious and tried to mimic our behaviour to see if she could do the same.
But Adamas reticence to leave her grandparents sides due to her cleft lip was holding her back. Her grandmother had little hope she would find healing one day and had accepted her fate.
Then earlier this year, hope was ignited at the news about international aid charity Mercy Ships and its hospital ship visiting the coast offering surgery.
Binta was not sure whether she could trust Mercy Ships, but decided to take a chance, fuelled by a desire to help her granddaughter.
She and Adama made the long journey of over 380 miles from their village near Kedougou, across Senegal to the port city of Dakar.
After a few appointments with Mercy Ships healthcare volunteers, Binta was thrilled to hear Adama was cleared for surgery on 24 March 2022.
Adama and Binta boarded the Africa Mercy, where Adama received surgery for her cleft lip.
Besides her physical healing, Binta noticed another change in her granddaughter.
Binta said: While we were on the ship, Adamas curiosity grew immensely. I think it was the people on the ship who helped her to explore that side even more. The crew would often act like children themselves, so Adama would feel comfortable exploring around them.
As Adama healed quickly and fully she also found a new friend on board, a girl called Aminata also healing from a cleft lip surgery.
The girls became playmates, constantly giggling together and pointing at everyone around them.
Binta said: I am so happy. Only God can do this. I thank God and all the nurses and the day crew. Here on the ship, Adama loved playing with the other kids and with the nurses.
When Adama and Binta returned home, their whole community was in awe of the change in front of their eyes.
Her grandfather, Issa, had tears in his eyes when he saw that his little girl was healed.
He said: It was a hard time caring for her, but we have always wanted the best for her, and we would never give up on Adama. But now she is healed, and that hard time is behind us. It is time for celebration now!
About Mercy Ships:
Global health for the last two decades has focused on individual diseases, while surgical care in low-resource countries has not received the attention it needs. Lack of surgical care resulted in almost 17 million deaths annually.
Mercy Ships is an international faith-based organization that operates hospital ships to deliver free, world-class healthcare services, medical capacity building, and health system strengthening to those with little access to safe surgical care.
Since 1978, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 55 countries, with the last three decades focused entirely on partnering with African nations.
Each year, volunteer professionals from over 60 countries serve on board the worlds two largest non-governmental hospital ships, the Africa Mercy® and the Global Mercy.
Professionals such as surgeons, dentists, nurses, health trainers, cooks, and engineers dedicate their time and skills to the cause.
Mercy Ships has offices in 16 countries and an Africa Bureau. For more information, visit MercyShips.org and follow us at MercyShips on social media.
