Why do I get up five days a week to work for an organization that doesn't pay me?
Why do I continue to trudge forward in a role that isn't the best fit for me but needs to be done?
Why don't I use my degree, experience, and skills to go get a 'real' job?
Why should you consider financially supporting our family as I volunteer with Mercy Ships (we struggle to be vulnerable with our financial status but suffice it so say we're $800 a month short of the low end of our budget)?
Minette is why.
Minette’s
Cinderella Story
Minette
excitedly sat in the chair, patiently waiting as the hairstylist worked her
magic. She could hardly believe this moment had arrived – the moment when
someone wasn’t afraid to touch her and wanted to style her hair. An hour later
she emerged with her braids perfectly in place, ready for a celebratory party
that she has desired for a long time … for 16 years. Today, Minette felt as
special as the fairy tale princess Cinderella. No, Minette was not heading to a
ball to meet her prince, but her biggest wish had already come true …
When
Minette was five years old, her father, Robert, was heartbroken to discover
that his little girl showed signs of a condition called neurofibroma – tumors
that grow on nerves throughout the body. In a developing country like
Madagascar, little is known about neurofibromas or how to treat them. But
Robert knew this condition all too well – he was also afflicted with the
disease, which first appeared when he too was only five.
“It's
something from life, something God let happen to us,” he said. “No one else in
our family has it.”
Sometimes
neurofibromas are small, and affected individuals can hide their condition.
However, the normal process is that one tumor grows much larger than all the
others. Robert’s large neurofibroma was on his right wrist. On first glance, it
looked like he’s holding a sack of groceries.
Minette’s
large neurofibroma grew in a much more delicate place – from the top of her
neck at the base of her skull where the hairline ends. It looked like part of
her hair. It caused Minette nothing but heartache. People were afraid to touch
her. She endured the ridicule of being singled out by other children. Neighbors
said the family was cursed.
And it
kept getting worse. By the time Minette was 21, the large growth had reached
her waist and weighed 4.3 kilograms (approximately 9 pounds). It was difficult
to walk, stand or sit. To cover her deformity, Minette wore over-sized
t-shirts. She was withdrawn and unsmiling. “People wouldn’t treat me as a human
being,” she said.
Minette
wished for a cure, but in the real world, fairy godmothers don’t exist. Or do
they? Minette’s fairy godmother came in the unusual form of a 16,500-ton
hospital ship, the Africa Mercy – a ship dedicated to offering
free specialized surgeries to the poorest of the poor.
Robert
and Minette first heard about Mercy Ships on the radio. A hospital ship
providing free surgeries sounded too good to be true. Villagers warned them
that the foreigners on the ship would steal their organs and conduct
experiments on them.
But they
were desperate for a cure. So, father and daughter ignored the warnings and
made the three-hour journey to the ship in a cramped bus.
Upon
arriving, Minette was evaluated by volunteer surgeons and staff for surgery.
Everyone could see her her misery – she didn’t smile, never made eye contact,
and wore a constant grimace.
Volunteer surgeon Dr. Tertius Venter and his
surgical team had a simple goal – to remove as much of Minette’s neurofibroma
as possible without reducing her range of motion or damaging nerves.
On the
morning of her surgery, nurses helped Minette prepare for surgery by scrubbing
down her large neurofibroma. Two nurses worked together to lift the growth that
Minette had carried alone for so many years. The surgical team worked over
three hours and removed the huge tumor … an immediate physical
transformation!
Minette’s
wish to be loved was even deeper than her wish for her tumor to be removed.
However, years of rejection made it difficult for her to accept that love. Over
the next few days, the all-volunteer crew gave Minette blood transfusions, and
prayed and cared for her in a way she’d never before experienced. Every day the
nurses, chaplains, and crew loved on Minette … and her emotional and
spiritual healing slowly blossomed in the warmth of acceptance and love.
And then
the transformational moment came … the moment when Minette flashed a smile …
the moment when Minette’s “real” personality emerged. Beauty and joy radiated
from her face … and she’s still smiling.
“It was
just really beautiful to see someone go from very little confidence to knowing
that she could be confident and knowing that she was loved,” shared Stacia
Julian, ward nurse and team leader for the plastics program. “There is so much
light in her eyes now and true joy coming from her.”
Now the
large mass is gone from her life – and so are the oversized t-shirts! Minette
updated her wardrobe to wear the dresses she always wanted to wear but never
could.
As she
continued her recovery at the Mercy Ships land-based HOPE Center, Minette was
able to make friends for the first time. She and a patient named Sarah formed a
special bond over board games, painted nails and fashion!
Nine
months after her transformational surgery, Minette is still smiling. When asked
what had changed the most in her life, she thought about it for a moment and
then answered, “I can now get someone to do my hair. Before people were afraid,
and now it’s no problem."
Then it
was time for father and daughter to return home ... both very grateful for
their restorative surgeries.
Minette
commemorated her transformation with the long-anticipated trip to the
hairdresser and a party to celebrate her “happily ever after” story … her
version of Cinderella’s fairy tale. And, who knows? There may be a
wonderful Prince Charming in her future who will be captivated by her beautiful
smile.
Nine
months after her transformational surgery, Minette is still smiling. When asked
what has changed the most in her life, she thought about it for a moment and
then answered, “I can now get someone to do my hair. Before people were afraid,
and now it’s no problem.”
Story by
Tanya Sierra
Edited
by Nancy Predaina
Photos
by Katie Keegan and Ruben Plomp
Minette is one of many incredible stories of transformation. Being a part of that transformation is "why". Would you like to join us in helping to transform lives?
