Blind and deaf from birth as a result of Rubella, she finds mercy and sees her mother for the first time...

MONROVIA, LIBERIA

IN SILENT DARKNESS
An operating table. High-tech instruments all around. In the middle of the table: a baby girl. She is two years old but is so tiny that she could easily be six months. This little girl is deaf, her chart also indicates she has a heart murmur and she is blind. That’s a lot of complications for one little girl. But today, Mercy Ships ophthalmic surgeon Russell Leavitt is removing a cataract from her right eye following similar surgery on her left eye a few days earlier.

The baby girl’s name is Sah, a likely victim of rubella during foetal development.

That was last week. Today, comfortably perched on her mother’s lap, Sah is surrounded by a cluster of intrigued family and friends. Rushing into the small dimly lit hut from the surrounding fields and farms, villagers are arriving in their droves. Fresh red Liberian soil clings to their clothes and feet. Excitement fills the air: Sah is safely home, and the people want to hear the whole story.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEIR EYES MET
“When I heard the news about a free operation with Mercy Ships I just knew I had to go,” says Sah’s mother, Bendu. “Everyone in the village told me not to go, out of fear of the unknown, but I knew God was in control and I trusted Him. The Mercy Ship is an answer to prayer.”

Bendu smiles when she thinks again about their experience onboard the Mercy Ship. “My daughter had a cataracts removed from her eyes. After each patch was removed she could see. She was blind and is deaf but now she can see objects in front of her. When I gaze into her eyes, there is this knowing look that just says Thank you”.

YOU SHOULD SEE HER GAZING
Bendu waves a balloon in front of Sah’s face — she reaches out to grab it. Sah is already making fast progress in the way she moves and interacts with other people. We all know how fast children learn!

Sah may never be able to hear, but Bendu’s excitement over her daughter’s improved vision is evident. This was more than mere surgery at work. Sah’s world has been changed, from a universe of darkness to a world where she is able now to see, play with other children or simply look into her mother’s eyes. Things are indeed looking up.

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