Malagasy lady travels three days and hundreds of miles by canoe and ferry for life-saving surgery on hospital ship

A 40-year-old mum of three from Madagascar had her life turned upside down when a simple toothache erupted into an aggressive tumour. 

Theogette suffered for over ten years as the tumour grew increasingly larger, restricting her airways and her ability to eat – until she heard of the chance for free life-saving surgery by the Christian health charity, Mercy Ships.

Determined to be free from her tumour, Theogette travelled hundreds of miles by canoe and ferry from her home in a remote village in the north-west region of Madagascar to the hospital ship in the port of Toamasina. 

“If it were not for Mercy Ships, Theogette could have died by slow suffocation as her oxygen supply would have slowly turned off – an awful way to die!” explains Royal London Hospital’s Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon, Leo Cheng, who performed the surgery on board. “Theogette's tumour not only affected her appearance, but her function of speech, communication, chewing, swallowing and breathing were all affected.” 

When the painful toothaches first began, a trip to the local dentist led to the troublesome tooth being removed, but in its place, a small bump began to swell and grow relentlessly. 

As the growth along her jawline spread, whispers started in her village. 

“People said I was sick and contagious,” Theogette recalls. “They influenced my husband and he left me.” 

Left to raise three children independently, Theogette had to shoulder the responsibilities of a parent and provider. 

“I have to go to the farm to be able to feed my kids, although the swelling hurts when I work for too long.” 

Theogette endured ten years of physical pain, emotional isolation, and relentless stigma. 

“They [community] don’t like me; they don’t want me to come close to them,” she says.  

In Madagascar, only 20% of the population has access to surgical services and for 95% of the population, the cost of surgery would lead to financial ruin. The harsh reality is that safe surgery is out of reach for 9 out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa. People are robbed of years of healthy life, for conditions that are easily treatable. 

An unexpected phone call

One day, Theogette received an unexpected phone call from her nephew, Ronaldo, a medical student. He had heard about the Mercy Ships Hospital Outpatient Extension (HOPE) Centre opening near his university. Mercy Ships uses the centre to house patients pre- and post-surgery.  

“I got on the phone and called her to come here because I knew they could treat her,” Ronaldo said. He’d seen how the tumour had taken a toll on her confidence. “She would even avoid interacting with others because she didn’t have that confidence anymore.” 

He thought that maybe after surgery, she would regain hope and be able to live more freely. 

With hope rekindled, Theogette embarked on a three-day journey to the Africa Mercy, navigating by canoe, ferry, and a Mercy Ships vehicle. 

Once she arrived, Theogette was welcomed at the HOPE Centre by a team of Mercy Ships dedicated volunteers who began the preoperative process. Volunteer dietitian Janet Stucky described Theogette as undernourished and underweight. Janet went on to explain that good nutrition was critical for her surgery to succeed. 

Anaesthesia provider Erik Andersen explained the tumour’s nature: “Benign, slow growing but with the ability to grow to an enormous size, compromising the patient’s quality of life, their airway, and their ability to eat food.” 

On the day of her operation, Theogette smiled and gave a confident thumbs-up, exclaiming, “Faly!” which is Malagasy for “happy.” Her simple hope carried profound weight. 

“I hope that, after the surgery, I can go back to the farm and be able to work and feed my kids,” she said. 

A new life awaits 

Recovery wasn’t easy but Theogette’s courage never wavered. 

Operating Room Clinical Supervisor, Ali Herbert from Gloucestershire remembers the moment that Theogette realised the operation had been successful.

“There was this incredible moment when Theogette looked in the mirror and put her hand up to her face,” explains Ali. “Then she realised that the tumour wasn’t there anymore and her hand could move much closer to her face again.

“It’s amazing teamwork that goes into each of these complicated surgeries, but it’s a precious time seeing the patient afterwards, able to gain weight again and return to their families.”  

Weeks after the surgery, the day Theogette longed for had finally arrived. Smiling and radiant, she waved goodbye to the Mercy Ships team and began her journey home.  

For the first time in a decade, she faced a hopeful future unburdened by the tumour. Her determination and courage had carried her through, and her dreams of providing for her children without pain were once again within reach. 

To find out more about Mercy Ships, visit mercyships.org.uk