It Is A Surreal Scene To Look At A 360-Degree Panorama In Real-Time Of Nothing But The Ocean.
The view of endless hues of blue and grey gave a sense of humility as we sailed from Tenerife to Dakar. We are individually minute in comparison to the sea. However, once leaving the deck to enter the vessel's walls that tilted back and forth, passionate and brilliant people surrounded me. Each passenger has a vastly different story. Dozens of languages spoken inside the Africa Mercy, varying cultures, reasons why they agreed to the voyage. Some volunteers have been waiting for two years to set sail, while others, like myself, have just arrived. Though the differences between us are prominent, the common thread shared is the why. We have all come from around the world to play a role in conducting 1,000 surgeries in ten months. This sail symbolized a fulfilled promise for the patients waiting for years.
Of course, the dolphins jumping, sense of community, and the Nepalese dinner of perfectly spiced curry made by our security team, the Gurkhas, are all incentives to be on board. But nothing quite captures the overwhelming honor to be a part of a united team, with different stories, with one shared goal, sailing together in a vessel to begin the long-awaited work, finally.
Thank you for your support. Last night, 100 patients and their caretakers arrived from neighboring regions of Senegal to our Pre Operation center, the Hope Center, to quarantine and care to make sure they are healthy enough for their surgery. The first surgeries will occur on February 23. So far, I have covered documenting the sail (which was fascinating) and the arrival ceremony, including individuals from the World Health Organization, Minister of Health M. Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, President Macky Sall's advisor Dr. Diopp and other government officials. Projects you will see soon include profiles on a Senegalese nurse that has kept in contact with each patient for the last two years weekly, reminding them that their surgery will happen—a profile on the director of Hope Center and patient stories. Thank you for following along and being a part of this in whatever way means the world. Covid has made things much more complicated, thankful for the team doing everything in their power to organize strategies to deal with it to keep the crew and patients as safe as possible. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers as we begin welcoming our first patients!
With so much love and GRATITUDE,
Elizabeth
A bit more about Mercy Ships logistics for those curious:
President Macky Sall of Senegal extended the invitation for Mercy Ships to come and dock in Dakar to partner with policymakers, medical clinics, the World Health Organization, agricultural specialists to cultivate a lasting, long-term plan.
This sail is five years in the making with country negotiations, patient screening, and developing a specific unit mentoring program.
This mentoring program means that Mercy ships is a learning hospital. 900 medical professionals including, anesthesiologists, medical administration, surgeons, ophthalmic, etc. come for further education to bring back the experience to their clinics.
In ten months, 1,000 surgeries including maxillofacial, reconstructive plastics, fistulas, prolapse (women’s health), goiters, pediatric orthopedic will take place. Non-surgical care will be provided as well including dental care, palliative, and Ponseti method (club foot). Housing is provided for patients and their caretakers during the duration of the surgery and rehabilitation.
Infrastructure development also takes place meaning clinic renovations and placement of new equipment. Mercy Ships makes sure to partner with clinics in local areas for training - making sure that the clinic itself will be supported and not “run out of business.” Research and partnerships ensure the model doesn’t harm the economic structure in place — A large percentage of patients come from rural areas of Senegal that have little to no access to medical facilities. 5 billion people lack access to safe, affordable surgical and anesthesia care needed. 3.7 billion people are at risk of catastrophic expenditure if they were to need surgery because they do not have financial risk protection and more people died due to lack of safe surgery than from TB, malaria, and HIV combined. Many of the West African medical professionals that come for the ten-month training continue to build clinics in these smaller regions.
Thank you to all who are following along. I am humbled to be a part of this and have learned an immense amount and I am encouraged by power in organizing and partnering together.