Plastic Surgeries

We finished our 5 weeks of plastic surgery last weekend and said goodbye to Dr Tertius Venter, the plastic surgeon, who gives of his time and talents to Mercy Ships twice a year for 5 weeks at a time.  These surgeries were a great success and we've already sent so many of our patients out healed and ready for a new life. We still have a full ward of patients recovering and receiving daily or every other day dressing changes, but we are slowly sending them home or to the Hope Center.  Countless people in third world countries are burned in fires every year. Lack of electricity means more fires for cooking and light and poor water supply leads to boiling water....  At least half of our burn patients here on the Africa Mercy are children who fell into a fire or were burned with scalding water years ago. These people are often unable to seek medical attention and as their bodies healed, their skin contracted and left them unable to use an extremity or other body part.

I'd like to introduce you to Afi, one of my sweet B ward patients. She's an epileptic and years ago had a seizure, fell into a bonfire and was badly burned. She came to us with a severe neck contracture and burns all over her face and chest. Her cheek was touching her shoulder when she came to us, she was quiet, withdrawn, and never smiled. We did skin grafts on her neck, eye lids, lip and chin 3 weeks ago, and although she still has a long way to go, her grafts are healing well and she smiles all the time! This beautiful woman is so courageous. She has been through so much in her life and now stands a little taller and hopeful for the future.

He gives beauty for ashes

Strength for fear

Gladness for mourning

Peace for despair

"Beauty for Ashes" by Crystal Lewis