I’m grateful to be a part of it – the reward is much more than money

– Seeing transformed patients is a great reward in itself.

This is what Súsanna Hendriksdóttir Olsen, a nurse from Lamba, says.

The ship has been in Sierra Leone. Súsanna has worked as a volunteer nurse on board, and the Danish newspaper Udfordringen has done an interview with her.

– I’ve got a lot of life-affirming stories with me in my luggage. The reward is much more than money. The work that Mercy Ships does makes good sense, and I am grateful to be part of it, says Susanna Olsen to Udfordringen.

Súsanna is 30 years old and lives in Copenhagen, where she works in a cardiology department at the National Hospital.

When she looks back on the two trips she has been on the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, there are two patients in particular that she remembers:

– 26-year-old Albert had injured his nose in a fight a few years ago. By the time he got to us, almost half of his nose was gone. A few days after the surgery, he asked me when he could remove the bandage. I said he could in five days. He said it was fine; he wanted to be brave, because his friends had been bullying him for a long time, but now he was soon going to be handsome again. And the day the bandage was removed and his nose was healed, he couldn’t help but look at himself in the mirror all the time. It was an invaluable experience.

– Another patient, Ishaka, had only one hole instead of one nose, and so he had crouched all his life. But now that he had got a nose, he said, “Look at me now,” as he walked around the ward, happy and full of life. He didn’t crouch anymore.

From the second trip it was a middle-aged woman named Miata, whom Súsanna especially noticed.

– She was hospitalized with a very large goiter. When she had a “normal neck” after surgery, another patient said Miata was no longer a witch.

– I and another nurse were shocked by this comment and explained that we have all value in Jesus and are created in the image of God and not like witches. I learned then that people with large scabies were called witches. This shows how important this surgery is to people like Miata. She will no longer be called a witch. She doesn’t need to crouch. It can be respected as a person.

 From the short hook

Croosing is quite common in these countries when people are disabled.

– One of the local colleagues has told me that he literally trembled when he saw a patient with a knee for the first time, because he had never seen anything like it before. He told me he didn’t know such people existed. They hide all their lives, so those with normal appearance do not know that these people exist. This story affected me a lot. I see patients when they are discharged after the procedure, and they are so happy and proud and no longer cling. It’s great to experience.

A big dream came true

Súsanna Olsen has always had a dream of working with people.

– I dreamed of becoming a nurse or a doctor, in order to use my education both at home and in other countries where they need help. A big dream of mine was to board one of Mercy Ships’ ships. Nursing is a meaningful job, and I love it, no matter where in the world I am. I am passionate about helping those in need. I want to make a difference for those who really need it. I have always dreamed of working in a place where the need is great, and that is why I have dreamed of being sent out and using my education both locally and internationally, says Súsanna to Udfordringen.

Recommends the same to others

Súsanna Olsen is so impressed by the volunteer work at Mercy Ships that she gladly recommends others to try it.

– It is good to get away from the comfortable environment and experience a warm culture despite great material poverty. It teaches you to see life differently. In addition, I think that we who are blessed with education and salary can at least give a little to our brothers and sisters in other countries, who need hope and health care.

Asked if she has any advice for others who want to try this, Súsanna says:

– Start sending applications immediately, as the processing time is long. And you don’t commit to anything until all parties have agreed on a time and place. So you can always start the application process and later decide if you still want to participate. And once you leave, be open to getting as much as you can out of the experience, which can’t be measured in money, she says.