Aberdeen surgeon removes 'grapefruit-sized' tumour from two-year-old girl on hospital ship

A surgeon from Aberdeen has performed a life-changing surgery to remove a tumour the “size of a grapefruit” from a two-year-old girl on board a hospital ship.

Manjit Dhillon, a surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, used her annual leave to volunteer at Mercy Ships, a Christian international healthcare charity.

While on board, she helped Armella, a two-year-old from Madagascar, by removing a benign tumour weighing 280g from behind her ear.

Without the surgery, the tumour would have continued to grow, putting pressure on the toddler’s neck and head.

‘Life-changing’

When Armella was born, her parents noticed a painless tangerine-sized lump behind her ear that continued to grow steadily.

Caessah, Armella’s mum, said that adults and children would stare at her daughter when they met her.

“When people met her, they stared at her,” she said. “Children also stared at her. She might get rejected a lot when she grew up. I just wanted my child to be ok. This was the only thing that mattered.”

As Armella and her family, from Toamasina, couldn’t afford to see a doctor or pay for surgery, they said all they could do was “pray”.

To the family’s delight, floating hospital the Africa Mercy sailed to Madagascar, equipped with five operating theatres, state-of-the-art medical facilities and a team of specialist volunteer crew, and booked Armella in for free surgery.

Armella’s tumour continued to grow in size. Mercy Ships via Supplied

“The mass was causing her ear to be deformed,” explained Manjit, a consultant surgeon in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery who uses her annual leave to volunteer with Mercy Ships.

“It was quite a weight so she would posture her head to the left side and over time, as the mass would have grown, she would have struggled to keep her head upright because of the weight.”

“The surgery only took a few hours, but the outcome is life-changing for Armella.

“Without this surgery, she would have struggled to hold her head up and would have lived on the fringes of society. Now she can enjoy going to school without getting picked on. She’s saved from a lifetime of injustice.”

‘Healthy recovery’

After the surgery, Armella was reunited with her family safe and well, and remained on the ship until her wound healed.

Manjit said the only hiccup in her recovery was interrupting the two-year-old from “playing and colouring in” to check on her wound.

“After surgery, I remember seeing her on the ward rounds,” laughed Manjit. “She was happily sitting on the floor playing and colouring in.

Armella made a full and healthy recovery. Mercy Ships via Supplied

“We had to interrupt her to check her wound and I remember her not being happy about that, because her colouring was very important.”

After making a full recovery and leaving the hospital ship, Armella and Caessah returned home where they were welcomed back with “surprise and delight”.

“Mercy Ships is a blessing, a light and a rescue for me and my child,” says Caessah. “When she had that condition, I suffered with her. When she recovered, I recovered too.”

Now back home, Armella can play happily with other children, looking forward to years of healthy life ahead and the freedom to go to school.

If it wasn’t for the surgery, her dad dreads to think what could have happened.

“She would have been bullied and mocked by other kids. She would have had a difficult time in school,” he said.

Over 7,500 life-changing surgical procedures have taken place on the Africa Mercy during its time in Madagascar.