Patient stories

About 5 billion people worldwide do not have adequate access to surgical interventions. Every year, 143 million surgeries are lacking. Behind every statistic is a story, a life – a person waiting for hope and healing.

Mercy Ships exists as a compassionate response to a world in need. Together we are part of one race on our planet, irrespective of country, creed or color.

Discover the stories of lives transformed through hope and healing…

Story of Mamadou

Shortly before his first birthday, Mamadou's mother realized that he was having difficulty grasping objects and that he regularly stumbled. Mamadou suffers from cataracts.

Story of Naserry

Naserry, a little 5-year-old girl, stumbled into a fire and knocked over a boiling pot: suddenly her whole childhood was shattered.

Story of Umu

“I was afraid to see the tumor on her face,” Yei remembered about the day she gave birth and saw Umu for the first time.

Story of Samba

After enduring 56 years of hardship and exclusion, a mere two hours proved transformative, radically reshaping Samba's life and bestowing upon him a newfound sense of dignity.

Story of Astou

Two surgeries​ for Astou Meet Astou. Her life has had shadows of pain. When she was 20 years old, she lost her son during childbirth, but that wasn’t the only

Story of Daouda

What started as a small lump eventually developed into a massive growth filling his mouth, making eating and talking difficult.

Help us bring hope and healing!