Esperance

Esperance at a screening day in Ghana. June 2006.

Esperance leaving the ship on Thursday.

Esperance had her final post-op appointment on Thursday. This is a photo I of her as she left the Africa Mercy.

In December 2005, Esperance was awoken in the middle of the night by her husband. As she sat up, he poured acid all over her body, and then drank the rest, killing himself. The incident left her with deep physical and emotional burns.

She first came in Mercy Ships in 2006. The burns on her neck and armpits were severe. She was unable to move her neck or lift her arms. When she first came to the ward, she was withdrawn and refused to talk to anyone. However, after spending two months being loved and cared for by the nursing staff, Esperance transformed into an outgoing, joyful woman.

And she didn't forget those who cared for her.

This February she arrived at screening day, still smiling, and sought out staff members she remembered. She recently received a second surgery to further release her neck and axilla.

She has free range in both joints and is thrilled to do simple things for herself, like tying her headscarf and bathing herself.

I love these two photos because you can see she is a completely transformed woman. Her smile says everything.