Oxford surgeon performs life changing operation on Mercy Ships

Determined to find help, Joseph took his niece to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to seek treatment at local hospitals.

They were advised to wait for the return of Mercy Ships, so Joseph moved his family to Freetown, where they waited for six years for a ship to arrive in 2023.

Dr Buckingham carried out the surgery as she volunteers with Mercy Ships twice a year, doing one rotation on board the Global Mercy and the other on Africa Mercy.

She said about 90% of the surgeries they offer are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The doctor explained: “It’s a fabulous charity, we have people who volunteer from around 60 different countries and we all come together to live and work together and these ships provide surgery for people who would otherwise not have access to safe or affordable surgery.”