10-years-old Houssainatou is finally able to put on some beautiful smile for the first time, after ten years in waiting. Team of surgeons saved her life after removing a facial tumour.
Houssainatou began bearing pain in her mouth when she was just a toddler, which kept her family shocked to see the lump increase over the years.
With the tumour sticking out in time from the face of the little girl and making her quit school at the age of eight, Souleymane, her father, feared she would struggle and die young.
Astonishingly, doctors did their possible best to save little Houssainatou’s life with surgery onboard a hospital ship.
The tumour was removed and the girl is now living a usual life with her family.
Souleymane, who’s a maize farmer lives in a town in the highlands of Guinea with his wife, Houssainatou his daughter and her four siblings, said: “I cannot believe it, she is so beautiful!”
“I am so happy and so excited to bring her home to see the family”.
“I can only get enough food to feed my family, but not extra. I’d never have the means to take care of surgery for my daughter”.
“We kept praying, and worrying, and looking for help”.
Also Read: POLICE OFFICER IN VIRAL SEXUAL ASSAULT VIDEO GRANTED BAIL BY COURT
“My heart is free now. The fear is gone. I used to spend every day afraid she would die young, but now I will spend my time helping her have a future”.
“I want her to become a doctor so she can help people the way she herself has been helped”, said her proud father.
The life-saving surgery was made possible with the aid of Mercy ships – a charity which offers free life-saving surgery in West Africa and Central Africa.
Before Houssainatou was accepted for the free surgery onboard hospital ship, she underwent several rounds of patient selection screening.
Houssainatou was able to see her self in the mirror, tumour free, for the first time in her life, after a day and four hours surgery and is now living a usual life with her family.
