Newborn’s surgery saves his life

Five-day-old Kossi won’t remember the surgery on his tongue onboard the Mercy Ship that saved his life, but it is one day that his parents will never forget.

Imagine being born into this world struggling to breathe.  It’s been nice and warm inside your mother’s stomach for nine wonderful months.  Then, all of a sudden, you are thrust into bright lights, gasping for air.

Born in Kpalime, Togo, that was exactly Kossi’s experience.  Akoua, Kossi’s mother, struggled during labor and required a cesarean section.  The moment Kossi was brought into this world, there were complications.

There was a cystic lesion on the topside of Kossi’s tongue that made it twice the size of a normal newborn baby’s tongue.  He was unable to get proper nutrition because he couldn’t breastfeed.  If the lesion was not removed, Kossi could starve to death. The doctor at the hospital knew that Kossi needed treatment beyond what he could provide.  So he picked up the phone and called his friends at Mercy Ships where one of the surgeons managed to squeeze a surgery slot for baby Kossi into their very tight schedule.

Just a few hours after entering this world, Kossi received approval for surgery onboard the Africa Mercy.  As soon as Akoua felt strong enough, the family travelled three hours to arrive in Lomé, where the ship was docked.

Kossi was welcomed - and immediately adored - by every nurse on the ship.  It was exciting to have a newborn on the ward. Kossi and his parents settled into the ward.

Then surgery day arrived, and the nervousness on Akoua’s face was evident. It is not common that a five-day-old baby has surgery, especially on a ship! But she knew it was necessary for his survival.

Kossi was carried into the operating room and Dr. Leo Cheng, an English maxillo-facial surgeon, performed the surgery. Everything went well, and there were no complications. A few hours later, precious little Kossi was back in the ward snuggling with his mother. The only trace of surgery was the handful of blue stitches dotting his flat tongue.

Dr. Leo explained Kossi’s situation, "The threat of this lesion was very serious. Because his tongue was convex (and not concave like a normal tongue) he couldn’t breastfeed at all. That was the first problem. The second problem was that if the lesion grew larger, it could shut off his airway."

The time came for Kossi and his parents to return to their home near Kpa