An unexpected encounter with Marie Elisa

At the age of 40, Marie Elisa’s life was turned upside down by a severe toothache. “The medicine helped at first,” she recalls. “But then it just kept growing and growing and growing…” Without access to proper care, the tooth became infected, a cyst developed, and eventually turned into a tumor.

As the tumor grew, so did the difficulties. “I could no longer work in the fields or sell my vegetables at the market,” Marie Elisa explains. “My youngest daughter had to drop out of school because we couldn’t afford it anymore.” With no treatment options available, her condition worsened over the years.

One day, a cyclone devastated northern Madagascar. The extreme weather conditions even reached the southern part of the island, where a Mercy Ships medical team had arrived for the next patient selection. Due to the continuous rains, roads were flooded and impassable, forcing the team to change their route and take a detour.

While driving through a village, Maddy, one of the nurses, noticed a woman with a disfigured face. “I shouted to the driver: ‘Stop the vehicle!’” Several curious villagers approached the car. “We told them we had just seen a woman we thought we could help,” Maddy continues. “Everyone seemed to know who we meant, and some of them went off to find her.”

Brought by the villagers, Marie Elisa was shy at first but agreed to be examined. The team informed her that specialized surgeons could likely remove the tumor – free of charge. Initially hesitant, she eventually agreed, encouraged by the before-and-after photos of previous patients shown to her by the team. “I’m ready to take the risk, I have nothing to lose,” she said.

Seizing the opportunity, Marie Elisa also mentioned that her husband, Claude, had been suffering from an eye condition that had impaired his vision for years. After an initial examination, the team diagnosed a cyst and believed it could also be treated surgically. Following further tests on board the Africa Mercy, both Marie Elisa and Claude were prepared for surgery!