Mercy Ships UK Onboard Magazine | Autumn 2023

45th anniversary

Special edition

Legacy of

News and stories from the Mercy Ships community

About us

Forty-five years ago, we opened the doors of our first hospital ship, and welcomed our very first patients with hearts of hope.

Today, Mercy Ships continues to bring free, life-changing surgeries to women, men and children across sub-Saharan Africa.

As a faith-based organisation, we believe everyone has the right to safe surgical care, whenever they need it.

Our hospital ships are powered by your love and support.

Hope. Healing. Transforming lives.

Read Coumba’s story at mercyships.org.uk/coumba or scan the QR code.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram

Special edition

45th anniversary

Image: Malang, an orthopaedics patient, in rehab with his father and Ka Dieye, a Mercy Ships translator.

Image: Saikou and Amadou were the very first patients to receive treatment on our newest ship, the Global Mercy, earlier this year.

Forty-five years and counting...

Every day, I am inspired by your love and compassion.

In this special 45th anniversary edition of Onboard magazine, we celebrate the incredible ways that human love and compassion can transform lives over decades and generations.

Your love is reaching across the ocean to people like Coumba. Turn to page 4 to read how Coumba’s bravery saved her brother’s life, nearly 30 years before she found free surgery on the Global Mercy.

It’s humbling to think that, 45 years ago, our founder Don Stephens turned his dream of a floating hospital into a reality. He and his wife Deyon sacrificed a life on land to move their four children onboard our first ship, the Anastasis. It was a rocky start. In the first few months, volunteers worked tirelessly on the coast of Greece to prepare for sail to Africa. Just when the ship was ready to depart, an earthquake struck next to the harbour. Mercy Ships volunteers responded immediately by giving blankets, clothes and water to people in need.

It’s this generosity of spirit that has defined Mercy Ships from the very beginning. Since then, our hospital ships have helped more than two million people transform their lives.

I see that same spirit of generosity in your ongoing support. As we all feel the effects of rising costs, I’m so grateful to you for staying

with us. It’s often in times of need that you see the best of humanity.

Right now, our hospital ship is serving patients in Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world. Families here face unimaginable challenges. It’s shocking to think there are only five surgeons to treat a population of more than eight million people. Many are forced to wait years for surgery. Local health clinics often lack the vital healthcare that’s so urgently needed.

Earlier this month, I attended a celebration of the 75th anniversary of our NHS. Never have I felt more grateful for our NHS, and for the dedication of our healthcare workers – just like our crew who work day and night on our hospital ships. We are a global community, determined to bring hope and healing to people who need it most. Thank you for all you do for our Mercy Ships family.

With deep gratitude,

Joanne Balaam Chief Executive Officer

Your kindness means so much to the people we support.

Image: Don and Deyon Stephens, founders of Mercy Ships, on the Global Mercy.

Free at last to heal and hug her daughter

Your love brought healing to Coumba in Senegal.

Coumba, 31, was recovering on the Africa Mercy after surgery. For two months, she had been away from home and from her little girl, Assatou. Today, Assatou was coming to visit her mum on the hospital ship. Coumba couldn’t wait.

“She’s going to cry when she sees me.”

“Coumba,” smiled Jody, our volunteer therapist, “I think you’re going to be the one who cries.”

And, sure enough, as soon as Coumba saw Assatou running up to her on the hospital ward, her eyes welled up with tears. She scooped her up and held her tight.

Seeing her daughter gave Coumba the strength she needed. She was determined to recover from her surgery so she could work on her farm and better care for two-year-old Assatou.

Ever since she was a child, Coumba has overcome unbearable things for the people she loves.

“I was just trying to save my brother”

The first day we met Coumba, she told us how she became injured, over 27 years ago.

“I was just trying to save my brother,” she recalls. “I can never forget it. My little brother was playing by the fire, got too close, and started to burn.”

At just four years old, Coumba bravely rushed in to fight off the flames.

“I saved my brother, but while I was pulling him out, my clothes caught fire. I was entirely burnt on my left side.”

Igniting hope

Sadly, more children still suffer from burns in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world. “As a child, my hand hurt,” Coumba recalls.

You can see from the photos how severely her hand and arm were burnt. For nearly 30 years, Coumba has not been able to use her left arm, or even move her fingers.

So when she heard Mercy Ships was coming to Senegal, she knew she had to take the chance for healing.

Coumba had free plastic reconstructive surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation to release her left arm from her contracture. It was a long road to recovery.

Give hope and healing

Bring free surgery to someone like Coumba who needs help – now.

£50

buys a plaster cast and sterile bandages to help a patient heal from injuries

£70 goes towards surgery and physical therapy, helping burn survivors reclaim their independence

£100

provides nourishing food for one month to help a brave person like Coumba recover from surgery.

Now, Coumba has reclaimed her independence for the first time in decades.

We share Coumba’s joy. But she should never have had to wait so long for hospital treatment.

Please help more patients like Coumba who are still hoping and praying for urgent surgical care. n

Donate at mercyships.org.uk/hope or scan the QR code.

“I always wanted to do the laundry; now I can. I can draw water from wells now. Before, I could only use one hand, now I can use both. All I can say is I am happy.”

Images: (Left) Coumba can freely move her arms after surgery. Before now, she has been unable to use her left arm and hand for 27 years. (Right) Coumba says goodbye to volunteers after her final discharge.

Help rebuild the Africa Mercy

You can help restore our older hospital ship, bringing lasting hope for years to come.

Right now, our older ship is undergoing an urgent refit in South Africa. For the past 16 years, the Africa Mercy has brought hope and healing to thousands of patients like Coumba.

This refit comes at a high cost. And we need your help.

Will you help cover the cost of this urgent repair?

Give today and help restore the Africa Mercy with modern operating theatres, medical equipment and the latest technology. With your help, we can repair the ship’s tanks, replace the steering gear units and buy new lifeboats. And you can help install air disinfection units to stop the spread of infectious diseases.

We’re so grateful for your support. You are the behind-the-scenes engine that keeps our hospital ships running.

So please, if you can, send another kind gift today. Your gift will mean whole communities can look forward to healthier, happier futures. n

Onboard magazine | Rebuilding the Africa Mercy

Image: Volunteers are working hard to refit the Africa Mercy in Durban, South Africa.

A life well-lived

A tribute to a dear friend of Mercy Ships whose kindness transformed generations.

Ghana, 1991. A doctor from Berkshire made his way on a windy harbour on the Atlantic coast. Exhausted after travelling all night, he stopped to look at our hospital ship for the first time, the Anastasis...

“I remember passing a load of empty containers in the docks. I thought to myself: I hope my life’s not going to be an empty container in the future.”

This was Dr Keith Thomson. A few months before, he’d read an advert in the paper calling for anaesthetists, and he felt compelled to come onboard. He didn’t know it then, but Dr Keith – as he was affectionately called – would spend the next 20 years selflessly serving with Mercy Ships. His dedication would change his life, and the lives of people he’d never met before.

One act of kindness

Two years later, Dr Keith was back on the Anastasis, this time in Sierra Leone. Usually, the hospital was bustling with patients, but today it was unusually quiet. So Dr Keith and other Mercy Ships volunteers went to visit a nearby maternity hospital.

Walking through the hospital doors, Dr Keith heard the anguished cries of a woman on the ward. He asked a midwife, “What’s wrong with

her?” And she replied, “Doctor, she’s going to die. She’s been in labour for four days. She needs an emergency caesarean.”

The woman’s name was Catherine Conteh. Her husband was searching desperately on the streets of Freetown to find the money for her emergency surgery. It cost £70 – the equivalent of a year’s salary in Sierra Leone.

Catherine couldn’t stop thinking she and her baby could die at any moment. Without hesitating, Dr Keith reached into his pocket and offered to pay for her surgery.

This one act of kindness saved both Catherine and her baby’s lives.

The next day, Dr Keith came back to visit the local hospital. He was overjoyed to see Catherine cradling her healthy newborn baby, with her husband by her side.

“I was so excited to see the baby,” he recalls. “It was just amazing. The baby survived miraculously."

A lifelong friendship

Dr Keith kept in touch with Catherine and her daughter Regina, who grew up knowing the kindness of ‘Uncle Keith’. Catherine will never forget his kindness.

“I remember seeing Keith for the first time, all those years ago,” Catherine says. “The idea that someone would come and help you without knowing you, but is willing to give you the gift of life, is incredible.”

Dr Keith forged many strong friendships through Mercy Ships. He generously donated several Land Rovers, so our medics could reach remote hospitals. And he raised funds for seven new anaesthesia machines for our onboard operating theatres, saving lives.

In his precious final few months, Dr Keith reflected, “I feel I have managed to contribute quite a lot in my life. I don’t feel my life has been an empty container. I’m not disappointed in my life at all, or the people I’ve been able to help. I feel I’ve had a life well-lived.”

On 19th April 2023, Dr Keith passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. His lifelong generosity and kindness will never be forgotten. n

Inspired by Dr Keith’s legacy?

With a gift in your Will, you can leave behind a legacy of hope. Remember Mercy Ships in your Will or update your existing Will for free at mercyships.org.uk/legacy

In recent years, Dr Keith sadly became terminally ill with cancer. It was a privilege for him when the tables were turned, and Catherine travelled across the world to nurse him.

Since we first shared news of Dr Keith’s passing, Mercy Ships supporters have kindly donated £5,890 in his memory. Thank you so much.

“I don’t feel my life has been an empty container. I feel I’ve had a life well-lived.”

Images: (Right) Dr Keith Thomson with Edoh, a maxillofacial patient onboard the Africa Mercy. (Below) Catherine and Augustin in hospital with their newborn baby, Regina, 1993, and Catherine with her daughter, Regina, and her grandson, 2023.

A new maritime partnership

We’re delighted to announce a new partnership with specialist shipping company, Seapeak.

Mercy Ships and Seapeak have signed a memorandum of agreement. This means we will share details of our vacancies, and in return the shipping company will help find volunteers from their amazing community of seafarers to serve on our hospital ships.

Chris McDade, Vice President of Operations at Seapeak, says, “We are thrilled about this meaningful partnership with Mercy Ships. Through our alliance, we’re giving our valued seafarers an opportunity to make a profound difference.

“Together with Mercy Ships, we are paving a transformative path where maritime expertise converges with humanity, leaving a legacy of positive change in the regions we touch.” n

Do you work in a company with shared values and corporate social responsibility goals? You could start a meaningful partnership today:

Grandfather completes 1,650-mile bus tour

Stephen Chitty, 70, has travelled to every corner of England entirely by public buses for Mercy Ships. During his 40-day challenge, Stephen travelled on 117 buses and slept in 30 beds. His daughter, Lizzie, has volunteered with Mercy Ships as a nurse seven times. Lizzie has volunteered in Guinea, Cameroon, Madagascar, the Congo, Benin, and most recently in Senegal earlier this year.

Stephen said, “I have been so encouraged on my route by people’s kindness. Everyone has been encouraging and I have met so many people who have noticed my Mercy Ships t-shirt and asked me more. It has been tiring but rewarding.”

“I really appreciate all those who sponsored me and gave me a bed for the night.”

Thank you, Stephen, for your amazing efforts and for raising over £3,000. n

Leave a legacy of hope and healing

Mercy Ships brings expert surgical care to people who have no one else to turn to. Thanks to compassionate friends like you, women, men and children have the chance to change their lives.

How you can help

There are so many ways you can make a lasting impact.

Donate

Make a regular monthly donation to Mercy Ships. Visit mercyships.org.uk/donate

Follow us

Join our online community: mercyshipsuk

Thanks to kind friends like you, Khadija’s daughter had free surgery to heal her cleft lip.

Come along

Attend or organise your own event in your local community, club, or workplace. Email events@mercyships.org.uk

Remember us

Remember Mercy Ships in your will. Visit mercyships.org.uk/legacy

Get involved

Run, jog, walk, cycle, or swim for Mercy Ships by taking part in one of our challenge events.

Email getinvolved@mercyships.org.uk

Volunteer

With a gift in your Will, you can let your love live on, long into the future. n

This October, write or update your Will for free. Find out more about Free Wills Month and order your free brochure today at mercyships.org.uk/legacy

Give your time and talents onboard or in the UK. Get in touch at volunteering@mercyships.org.uk

Thank you for all you do to bring hope and healing.

“My gift will be there for someone when all hope seems lost. It is wonderful to know that.”

Ruth Guy, a Legacy Pledger

“When Aissatou returned home from the ship, I was so happy. I can’t thank you enough.”