"Edouard Eyessi..."

Since birth, Edouard Eyessi suffered from a troubling hernia condition. Any kind of exertion, even speaking loudly, caused sharp pain. The swelling, which increased as Edouard grew older, was extremely uncomfortable. Most worrying of all, was the concern that Edouard would not be able to father children when the time came for him to marry.

Doctors told Edouard’s parents that nothing could be done for their child until he was six years old. “Waiting all of that time while watching how difficult it was for Edouard to play like the other boys his age was so difficult,” his mother, Eugenie, explains.
When Edouard’s parents brought him back to the hospital just after his sixth birthday, the doctors shared a distressing prognosis. Given what they knew, the only operation they could perform on Edouard would likely take away his ability to father children. Eugenie and Edouard’s father, Athanaz, made an immediate, but heart-breaking, decision. They would help Edouard manage his condition rather than risk robbing him of his ability to have a family of his own.

During his boyhood years, Edouard greatly missed playing football or any of the physical games so popular with his friends. Also, he wasn’t able to help out much around home. He could not carry anything heavy, and frequently pain and swelling kept him off of his feet.

On his good days, Edouard helped others in a very special way. Eugenie’s pride for her son’s talent bursts forth as she says, “Our Edouard has an amazing healing touch. One of our elders had a leg that ached ferociously for a long time. No one could help ease the throbbing at all. Then Edouard tried. He used his hands to massage her muscles and joints. Right away the pain left her leg.”

Edouard continued to provide his massage therapy to family and friends – including his father, who works very long hours as the Headmaster of the Lomé Public School. “All day and on most evenings, I am involved in meetings. There are many problems I need to help solve, and, of course, the tension builds up in all of my muscles. Edouard is wonderfully gifted in helping my muscles to relax and removing the knots in my neck and shoulders with this knowing hands,” his father explains.

Players on the local football team have also called upon Edouard’s physical therapy talents. Mr. Wilson Adjei, one of Edouard’s teachers and a football player himself, made arrangements for Edouard to volunteer his services. “Even though Edouard has no formal training, he has an awesome natural ability. Our team members are much stronger and more pain-free thanks to Edouard’s manipulations and massage therapies,” he remarks.

At age sixteen, Edouard Eyessi, while practicing his massage technique in front of the family television, heard an announcement about Mercy Ships coming to Togo to provide free medical care. Edouard’s family immediately agreed that he must go the patient screening. Edouard describes his first never-to-be-forgotten day with Mercy Ships: “Mr. Adjei accompanied me to Kegue Stadium, and we arrived at 4:00 a.m. By the end of the morning, I had been accepted for a second examination at the hospital ship itself. I did not sleep at all that night as I kept praying that my healing had been found.”

Edouard’s prayers were indeed answered. Within weeks, Edouard was onboard the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest nongovernmental hospital ship, having his free, life-changing hernia operation.

Edouard’s surgeon was Dr. Nabil Gayed, a general surgeon from the United States. Dr. Nabil, a first-time Mercy Ships volunteer, was delighted with the outcome of Edouard’s surgery. “In the developed world, hernias at birth are dealt with swiftly before they become a problem. I would never see a hernia more than five centimeters. Here, with no access to surgical treatment, hernias grow to the size of footballs. This is a serious stand-alone medical issue. So many boys and men are broken by painful and swollen hernias. They suffer major bowel and reproductive problems that devastate their already challenged work and social lives. I am blessed to help change that picture, especially for a young man like Edouard with his entire future ahead of him,” comments Dr. Nabil.

Before his full discharge from Dr. Nabil’s excellent care, Edouard received a special bonus. Chris Webb, a kinesiology specialist, spoke at length with Edouard about his own career path, answering many questions. Chris encouraged Edouard to work hard to complete his studies and get good grades, now that he is physically restored. Joanne Gates, a Mercy Ships physiotherapist, then walked Edouard through two actual examinations she was conducting. Edouard was rapt with attention. “This is the field I want to work in. To be able to see the work of such an expert is so thrilling! This is the second Mercy Ships day I will always remember,” declares Edouard.

When Edouard returned home to complete his recovery, the Eyessi household was beyond words. Eugenie describes the reaction of her husband in a voice trembling with joy: “Athanaz wept at the sight of our Edouard, who was now free of the terrible pain and limitations of the hernia that had plagued him for so many years. We thought we must be dreaming – but, thanks to Mercy Ships, we were having a dream come true.”

Written by Joanne Thibault
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photographs by Debra Bell