A teenage girl whose toothache turned out to be a tumour which grew to the size of an ORANGE has had life-saving surgery to remove it.<br /><br />Lucy, 14, began to experience toothache aged 12 - which grew more and more severe.<br /><br />Even after the tooth fell out, the pain remained - then her cheek began to swell up too. <br /><br />It turned out to be a fast-growing tumour on Lucy's right cheek - likely caused by an infection.<br /><br />As the tumour continued to grow, the pain got worse and Lucy started having to miss school because of it.<br /><br />Her family - from Port Loko, Sierra Leone - grew concerned for her health as they couldn't afford a trip to hospital, until they learned a charity hospital ship called Global Mercy had docked nearby in Freetown.<br /><br />The ship - run by charity Mercy Ships - offered free surgeries and Lucy was told a volunteer oral maxillofacial surgeon could operate.<br /><br />After going under the knife in September 2023, Lucy recovered and was soon able to return to school, where she is now thriving.<br /><br />Lucy said: “I wasn’t feeling good when I had that thing on my face, because I did not like the shape of my face.<br /><br />"I was ashamed because among my friends nobody has it.<br /><br />"I was the only one with the big thing on my face.<br /><br />"Now, after the surgery, I feel good."<br /><br />When Lucy first began to experience toothache, she had no idea why - and the pain continued even after her tooth came out.<br /><br />The tumour began to grow and Lucy became quiet and withdrawn due to how different she looked.<br /><br />She often had to skip school due to pain and Lucy’s condition became worse because of a lack of proper medical care and education.<br /><br />Lucy's mother, Isatu, said: "It began to swell. I got her local herbs, but that did not help.<br /><br />"We never went to the hospital. We did not have the money to go.<br /><br />"Lucy is bold, but when the other children started to laugh at her, she became very quiet."<br /><br />Thankfully, Sierra Leone’s government is working to strengthen its surgical and dental care system through strategic partnerships with organisations like Mercy Ships, which focuses on long-term education, training, and advocacy.<br /><br />With the arrival of the world’s largest hospital ship, the Global Mercy, to Sierra Leone, Lucy’s family heard free surgery would be possible.<br /><br />Dr Didier-David Malis, a Mercy Ships volunteer oral maxillofacial surgeon, from Switzerland, who operated on Lucy’s tumour, said: "It was a fairly large and destructive tumour, affecting her bone and soft tissues.<br /><br />"It is an aggressive tumour, which could change her appearance from a functional and visual standpoint, impacting her relationship with others and dysfunction in terms of swallowing and speaking.<br /><br />"Her eye has also been affected by being pushed away from the bed by the tumour."<br /><br />The five-hour extensive surgery was a success. Lucy continued to stay on board the Global Mercy in one of the hospital wards, regaining her strength as she healed. <br /><br />Jeri Harper, a volunteer paediatric nurse, said: "She’s the first person that ever got me up dancing at work because when she wanted you to do something, you did it.<br /><br />“She's kind to other people. She became the centre of everything that went on in that ward.”<br /><br />After making a full recovery and leaving the hospital ship, Lucy was welcomed home by a cheering crowd.<br /><br />After the orange-sized tumour had been removed, her own uncle barely recognised her.<br /><br />She has returned to school now and dreams of becoming a doctor - inspired in part by the treatment she received on board Global Mercy.<br /><br />Lucy said: "I missed school so much. My favourite subject in school is science.<br /><br />"I want to become a doctor in the future because I want to help people when they are sick.”
