Jean Loko began developing a lipoma on his back in 1992 after he was caught in a battle between government and opposition forces in Benin and was beaten on the back with a rifle. The tissue damage resulted in a swelling which continued to grow over the course of 18 years into a 7 kg lipoma which limited his range of movement and ability to work as a tailor and he abandoned his business.
Jean also had to battle the cultural aversion to deformities, which are often viewed as a curse. The father of seven, Jean was rejected by his two oldest sons because of the growth. He had sought treatment at the local hospital where doctors told him they were unable to help him with his problem. He heard about the Mercy Ships surgical screening on the radio. Although he was a bit fearful that he would meet disappointment again, he went to the screening anyway.
“But I was chosen!” he said with a combination of surprise, disbelief and elation. After removal of the lipoma on the
Africa Mercy Jean stayed at the Hope Center and returned daily for several months to the post-operative department for wound care. On one such visit, nurses thanked Jean for his patience with the wound healing process to which he replied through a translator “I have new life.”
The volunteer surgeon aboard the Africa Mercy successfully removed the lipoma that had caused him so much misery. When asked about his experience, his usual serious expression turns to a brilliant smile. “I just thank Mercy Ships for what they have done for me. They gave me my life back.”
Jean also had to battle the cultural aversion to deformities, which are often viewed as a curse. The father of seven, Jean was rejected by his two oldest sons because of the growth. He had sought treatment at the local hospital where doctors told him they were unable to help him with his problem. He heard about the Mercy Ships surgical screening on the radio. Although he was a bit fearful that he would meet disappointment again, he went to the screening anyway.
“But I was chosen!” he said with a combination of surprise, disbelief and elation. After removal of the lipoma on the Africa Mercy Jean stayed at the Hope Center and returned daily for several months to the post-operative department for wound care. On one such visit, nurses thanked Jean for his patience with the wound healing process to which he replied through a translator “I have new life.”
The volunteer surgeon aboard the Africa Mercy successfully removed the lipoma that had caused him so much misery. When asked about his experience, his usual serious expression turns to a brilliant smile. “I just thank Mercy Ships for what they have done for me. They gave me my life back.”
Since the beginning of the Togo Outreach, I have been serving as a ward nurse and charge nurse in the orthopedic and maxillary facial surgical areas. Plastic surgery is soon to begin and I was approached about serving in a new role as Reconstructive Care Coordinator.
Here in Togo in meeting translators and patients on the wards, I began to notice many reoccuring names such as Yaovi, Kossi and Komlan. One day I asked one of the translators about the meaning of his name and he told me that many people in Togo are given the day of the week in which they were born as one of their names, either as a first or middle name. He asked me what day of the week I was born on to which I replied, "I don't know." "You don't know?!?" he said, quite surprised. After I little internet calendar research, I learned that I was born on Tuesday. My Togolese name in the Ewe language would be Abla. I soon discovered that my good friend Marianne is also born on Tuesday as is our friend Geraldo. We began a tradition of Happy Tuesday dinners together up on Deck 7 every week featuring locally grown coconut or pineapple.
Today the ship underwent a scheduled blackout. Electricity was turned off (including air conditioning) and volunteers were recruited to assist with the cleaning of the pipes which carry seawater onto the ship to cool fresh water which cools the engines. 
