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A young lady sits on her bed in Salome Ward (our women�s ward), enjoying the morning sunlight filtering through the window. Despite the serene surroundings, her journey has been anything but easy.
�My dad passed away 4 months ago. Nothing will bring him back, and that hurts. I am at least on the path to recovery after a 16-year battle with this tumor,� she says. Her name is Yewa.
As the youngest of five children, Yewa lives with her oldest sister in Togo. At 12 years old, she began to feel a swelling inside her mouth. �I thought it would just subside on its own, but it kept getting bigger,� she remembers. Her self-esteem dwindled, and she avoided going outside to play with her friends.
Yewa�s parents sent her to Niger, where her extended family lived, to seek medical attention.
�In Niger, I was given traditional medicine,� Yewa continues. However, this only worsened the swelling. She eventually sought medical care in Togo, despite her parents� initial reluctance to allow surgery.
�My parents feared the operation, thinking I might die. It took a while for them to come around,� she says. Yewa eventually visited the Hospital of Hope in Mango, Togo. After examinations, she was referred to us. With the help of well-wishers, she secured a plane ticket and funds for a mandible and fibula-free flap reconstruction surgery�where a damaged or missing section of the jawbone (mandible) is replaced with a segment of the fibula bone, along with its blood vessels, from the leg, to restore function and appearance. Our Otolaryngology-Head and Neck team successfully performed the surgery last month, - July.
On her discharge day, Yewa sits on her ward bed browsing on her phone. By her side is Miriam, a pharmacist from the Hospital of Hope. Miriam volunteered to accompany Yewa from Togo! �We are thrilled that this was a success. The services here are exceptional! Continue showing compassion. It�s time for Yewa to return home and continue her tailoring business,� Miriam shares.
We wish her a speedy recovery. May she continue to experience, see and understand the love of Christ through His followers. Au revoir Yewa!????