A mum-of-four had an orange-sized tumour removed from her jaw - after being spotted at the side of the road by surgeons passing through her village. <br /><br />Marie Elisa, 45, had been living with the benign tumour for five years - despite it constantly growing - because she couldn't afford medical treatment. <br /><br />The first signs of the tumour began in 2019, with a toothache which was treated with over-the-counter painkillers. <br /><br />But it kept growing, until nearly the entire right side of her face was swollen - forcing her to stop farming, and leaving her family struggling financially. <br /><br />Marie Elisa, from Berangotra, Madagascar, said: "The painkillers helped for a time. The swelling started, and it just kept getting bigger until it reached this point.<br /><br />"I could no longer work in the fields or sell at the market.<br /><br />"And my daughter had to stop school because I couldn't pay her fees." <br /><br />Feeling desperate, Marie Elisa turned to non-medical healers for help - but the tumour continued to grow. <br /><br />She saw a doctor, who recommended surgery to remove the mass from her face.<br /><br />But she was unable to afford the surgery - which could have set her back hundreds of pounds, according to Mercy Ships.<br /><br />In January 2024, a patient selection team from international health charity Mercy Ships had to make an unplanned detour to Marie Elisa's village in Madagascar, due to a cyclone in the north of the country.<br /><br />By chance, they spotted Marie Elisa while driving through the local market.
