Benessa’s Healthcare Testimony | Tumor Affecting Vision // Mercy Ships

0:00 [Music] 0:03 Vanessa was born a healthy and perfectly 0:06 normal little girl but when she was a 0:09 baby a small lump and a few dark hairs 0:12 cropped up over her left eye over five 0:17 years the small lump has become a 0:20 significant tumor growing bigger and 0:23 bigger affecting her vision and causing 0:26 her great pain aboard a anomaly when her 0:31 friends make fun of her she cries and is 0:33 forgotten she cries a lot and says my 0:36 they make fun of me and tell me to go 0:39 away the doctor said we can’t do 0:44 anything for her 0:47 [Music] 0:50 with no money and no doctors who could 0:53 help them they were out of options 0:55 until Vanessa’s parents learned about 0:58 Mercy Ships 0:59 [Music] 1:02 mom is so happy as they board the ship 1:05 and get settled in after years of worry 1:08 and watching her daughter suffer she was 1:11 finally told yes we can help her if I 1:16 were him what’s in my heart is that I 1:19 want her to be heated so she can play 1:21 with her friends and I’m go to score 1:23 that will make me happy 1:27 then there is a setback Vanessa fell and 1:31 hurt her chin the nurses discuss whether 1:38 surgery will have to be postponed 1:42 thankfully it is determined not to be 1:45 serious surgery is a go 1:49 vanessa is a perfect little patient as 1:52 they prepare her 1:52 [Music] 1:54 she’s doing good her swollen lip is not 1:59 a result of the tumor but is a condition 2:01 that she was born with and it can be 2:03 healed with medication over time I have 2:08 faith in God that everything will be 2:11 okay she has been suffering such a long 2:14 time not when she finally has her 2:17 surgery I will cry she’s in for a very 2:24 difficult and intense operation the 2:28 tumor covers a large area on the scalp 2:32 they won’t know how bad it is until they 2:34 start to operate 2:36 [Music] 2:42 because of the tumors location so close 2:45 to the brain and the eye the surgeon has 2:48 to take his time to remove it all so it 2:50 doesn’t grow back 2:53 and he hopes to save her I 2:55 [Music] 2:59 Vanessa went into surgery at 9:00 a.m. 3:03 she doesn’t come out of recovery until 3:05 5:00 in the evening it was far trickier 3:10 than anyone expected 3:12 but her I was saved 3:16 [Music] 3:25 fortunately it was just above the eye in 3:29 the socket but it didn’t involve the eye 3:31 very often if patients wait long and 3:35 they then get treatment for all the 3:36 different reasons in Africa it can 3:39 invite iron we have to remove the eye 3:40 with it 3:43 [Music] 3:47 like this the next day vanessa is awake 3:53 and happy and wanting to play I’m so 4:03 happy 4:03 everything is going to do better later 4:05 fuzz about her life will change she’s 4:09 going to be able to play with her 4:10 friends and do everything she wasn’t 4:12 able to do 4:15 [Music]