Free to sleep comfortably at last.
At the age of 38, Malagasy builder, Fidisoa noticed a tiny spot appear on his back.
Gradually the spot grew into a lump, and then into the size of a fist. It continued to grow until Fidisoa looked as if he carried a backpack underneath his shirt.
For 15 years Fidisoa carried the weight around, struggling to do the high level of manual labour required from his livelihood and unable to sleep comfortably lying down.
Fidisoa spent his life savings on three unsuccessful attempts to remove the tumour.
“The first surgery was 600,000 Ariary (about £105) since the tumour was comparatively smaller then,” Fidisoa explains. “The second surgery was 1,300,000 Ariary (£225) and the third surgery was 5,000,000 Ariary (£860). The first and second surgeries were paid for, using all the money I had worked and saved over the years.”
To cover the cost of his third surgery in 2021, Fidisoa took on a work contract abroad to raise the final funds he needed – all of which he spent on the treatment.
Determined not to give up
Fidisoa has three children aged five, 22 and 25. Despite the intense physical pain, Fidisoa kept on working hard in the fields to provide for his family.
Then one day he heard some life-changing news. Free surgeries for conditions such as his were available on board the hospital ship the Africa Mercy.
Fidisoa boarded the ship on his 53rd birthday.
“Today, 6th June, is my 53rd birthday and to be going in for free surgery tomorrow is like the best birthday gift I have ever received,” says Fidisoa. “The nurses here are so kind and even sang a happy birthday song for me.”
Surgery at last
Volunteer reconstructive plastics surgeon, Dr Tertius Venter, from South Africa, was among the team who operated on Fidisoa in a procedure called a back hibernoma excision. The team removed the entirety of the benign tumour, a soft lobular fibroma which weighed 5 kilograms (11 lbs). After past surgeries regrowth occurred because not all abnormal tissue was removed.
“In his case, we spent quite a lot of time because it (abnormal tissue) also infiltrated into his muscles,” explains Dr. Venter. “So we had to go thoroughly and find every bit and remove it as far we could. We have removed it completely now.”
After the four-hour surgery, Fidisoa’s family, including his wife, daughter, and sister, were all waiting for him outside the operating theatre and were elated to see the tumour had gone.
“They were amazed at how different I looked,” Fidisoa says with a smile. “Thank you to all the loving, humble people at Mercy Ships and to everyone who made this possible. I look forward to getting back to work immediately on the farm where I grow rice,” say Fidisoa.