Imagine being eight years old and having legs so badly bowed you could bounce a beach ball through them.   Imagine going onboard a big white hospital ship to have a free surgery.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Thanksgiving Day and no food in the house!  Then a stranger brought boxes of food and a turkey!  This experience greatly impacted young Anthony Robbins.  Years later, he wrote this story.

Vidhya volunteered as a doctor onboard our hospital ship.  She hoped that an emergency wouldn’t happen on her watch – when she was the doctor on call.  But, late one night, a patient onboard our hospital ship had a complication – severe bleeding.

Sophie and Auriette have children who received free orthopedic surgeries onboard our hospital ship in Madagascar.  Eunice, a volunteer writer, asked them, “What is your favorite memory of being on the ship?”  She shares their answer.

Ella Tryon had a severe allergic reaction to gluten when she was only seven years old.  She was hooked up to a feeding tube and IVs.  Coloring was one of her favorite activities.  So, her mom went to the hospital playroom to search for crayons.

Baby Yvette was born with a tumor covering her face.  Her mother, Agnes, says, “Everyone asked me, ‘What sin have you committed? What have you done so that your baby was born this way?’” The questions made Agnes doubt herself.

A volunteer writer on our hospital ship wrote about a funeral she attended for her friend Christine.  Listen.

A mother sat by an empty bed.  The activity of the hospital ship’s ward swirled around her.  But she didn’t notice as she wiped away a tear.

Eleven-year-old Garrett Lowry loves baseball.  He has another hobby … knitting.  His grandmother taught him to knit as a calming activity for his high-energy personality.   And he’s turned his hobby into an opportunity for mercy.

Go with me today to the recovery ward of the Mercy Ship. Imagine you are a five-year-old child recovering from congenital cataract surgery. You will soon see for the very first time . . .