The day he arrived at Ships of Hope, 12-year-old Sekouba was holding a worn photo in his hands. The photograph, with torn edges and faded color, was of a boy with a flawless face smiling happily at the camera.
“This used to be me,” Sekouba said.
It had only been two years since the photograph was taken, but that was more than enough time to steal a large chunk of young Sekouba’s childhood. It was any ordinary morning when Sekouba first noticed a small lump in his mouth, no bigger than a button. He showed it to his mother, M’mahawa, who told him not to worry.
“Maybe it will go away on its own,” he said.
But it was not like that. Over the course of the following year, the lump grew at an alarming rate, eventually forming a tumor the size of a tennis ball that filled Sekouba’s cheek.
As the tumor grew, it began to significantly affect Sekouba’s life. People started making fun of him. “What’s that about your mouth?” they would ask him and the curiosity would soon turn to laughter and contempt.
To protect himself from the endless taunts and stares, Sekouba dropped out of school and confined himself to his home. His brothers were embarrassed to be seen with him and his friends refused to play with him.
Every day for almost two years she has been anxiously waiting for her siblings to return from school so that she can continue learning. Copy your homework and try to learn from it. Every day he realizes that he is the only child his age who does NOT go to school, and every day school is the only place he wants to be.
Hoping to find a way to cure him, Sekouba’s family took him to the largest hospital in their region. Unfortunately, surgery to remove the tumor would cost the family 12 million Guinean francs or about 1,300 euros, a price that is difficult for M’Mahawa, who has just been widowed, while she takes care of her seven children alone. “We were trying to sell our land to get money for his surgery,” he said.
M’mahawa. However, before he could complete the sale, the surgeon told him that he would not be able to perform the operation because he did not have the necessary equipment.
The family did not know what to do before learning of the arrival of a hospital ship in their country. He and his mother traveled for three days to where the Africa Mercy was docked in search of help for his condition, but Sekouba remained hopeful. As he sat on the pier displaying his old photo to those around him, his eyes were bright and his smile pronounced, even as it curved around his tumor.
During his time aboard the Africa Mercy , Sekouba received surgery to remove the maxillary mass, followed by several weeks of appointments to observe his recovery process. The sight of Sekouba’s healed face gave his mother endless joy.
“Every time I pray, I thank God for this ship,” M’mahawa said. “I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
A month after being admitted for surgery, Sekouba was ready to start the journey home, excited to return to school. According to M’mahawa, Sekouba also has his eye on a young girl, who her mother says, with a twinkle in her eye, never stops talking.
“Now, one day I will be able to marry her,” Sekouba said, grinning widely.
A month after being admitted for surgery, Sekouba was ready to start the journey home, excited to return to school. According to M’mahawa, Sekouba also has his eye on a young girl, who her mother says, with a twinkle in her eye, never stops talking.
“Now, one day I will be able to marry her,” Sekouba said, grinning widely.