"Then I heard on Sonshine FM 98.5 about the work being done by volunteers who serve with Mercy Ships. After learning more about the charity I became convinced it was something I should be involved in and use my nursing skills to help," she says.
Sandy is nearing the end of two months of service as a ward nurse caring for people undergoing surgery for facial reconstruction, tumours, cleft lip and palate repairs, and war injuries onboard the world's largest charity hospital ship Africa Mercy, currently undertaking a ten-month field assignment in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries. The ship has six operating theatres, a 78-bed hospital and state-of-the-art equipment. More than 400 volunteers from around the world are involved in a range of medical and community development programs. Free surgeries are provided onboard to correct disability, deformity and blindness.
Taking 10 weeks of leave from her work with the Armadale Health Service, she prepared for the trip, paying her own way and paying crew fees while onboard to help offset the ship's running costs. "When I learnt I would be heading for Sierra Leone I did have some concerns, and wondered how safe that area of the world would be, and so did my parents. But those fears eased when I arrived and found people who were so happy to see that the Africa Mercy had come to bring hope and healing to their country. Crew members do have to take precautions while they are off the ship as Sierra Leone is a country still recovering from long years of civil war, but the people are wonderful."
"It is quite an experience to see the vast differences in health care and living conditions in West Africa, compared to what we enjoy in Australia. Most health services just don't exist, and if they do, the people cannot afford them. Poverty, lack of health care and sanitation affect these people terribly. Poor nutrition leads to low immunity to infections that are sometimes the cause of conditions bringing people to the ship for treatment. Also a lack of understanding about the causes of health conditions leads the people to believe that have deserved their affliction…that they are 'cursed'."
Sandy describes her patients as the highlight of her work. "A 30-year-old man came for surgery to repair a cleft lip and palate, something that would be repaired as an infant in Australia. That man had lived with that along with the major problems of eating and communicating for 30 years. What a joy it was to see his life changed.
"Many mothers in Sierra Leone are told that their babies with such problems are cursed, and must be abandoned. That is awful. Other such babies simply die because of malnutrition despite the best efforts of their parents. There was a seven-year-old girl named Memuna. She came for surgery to remove a massive tumour in her mouth. The girl's mother had spent a lot of time taking Memuna to traditional healers, without result. She did so well after surgery, and looked like a new girl. In fact, she was a new girl."
Sandy says it is a privilege to be just a small part of the work of Mercy Ships. "That work is vital in countries like Sierra Leone in the developing world where there is not access to the medical care we have and expect to have in our part of the developed world," she concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978 providing free health care and community development services to the forgotten poor. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor. Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves. The result is a way out of poverty.
The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the world's largest charity hospital ship Africa Mercy, with a crew of more than 450 volunteer, provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. Mercy Ships works on land-based projects in Sierra Leone in partnership with other organisations, while teams also work in several nations of Central America and the Caribbean. Mercy Ships Australia, one of 15 international support offices is based on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.
To contact Mercy Ships, visit CTindex
For more information, visit www.mercyships.org.au