A young woman whose sore throat became a life-threatening growth in her neck, leaving her struggling to breathe, has had it removed for free by surgeon volunteers from international charity Mercy Ships .
Harimalala from Mankara, on the east coast of Madagascar was just 12 when her throat started to feel uncomfortable and began to swell.
“I took medicines, but it kept growing even more. I even went to a traditional healer, but it kept growing,” she said.
The large growth eventually became impossible to ignore. Ashamed of her appearance, Harimalala dropped out of school and wrapped a scarf around her neck to hide the mass. The swelling affected her physically, emotionally, and socially.
“I am unable to fetch water or carry heavy things. I can’t bend down or run,” she shared before her surgery.
Harimalala feared her condition was life-threatening but like approximately 93% of people in sub-Saharan Africa (http://apo-opa.co/3Hoyb2V), she was unable to access safe, affordable, and timely surgical care.
Still unable to find any help at 24 years old, she heard about Mercy Ships from a neighbor — a charity that sends floating hospitals crewed by volunteer medical professionals to provide free surgery. She held onto the hope that they would return to Madagascar.
When she heard it had, she traveled alone to the port of Toamasina in 2024 where the volunteers from the Africa Mercy® first met Harimalala. The medical team quickly realized her condition was critical and she could not return home until she had surgery.
Dr. AJ Collins, who has led Mercy Ships’ thyroid surgery program for 17 years, performed the operation. He described her condition as, “A typical but massive multinodular goiter, which is the most common type of thyroid pathology worldwide.”
“It tends to compress the airway so breathing and talking and exercising become very difficult. It can make it hard to swallow your food. Those problems just become worse until they get to critical point, which I think for her, was close.”
Additionally, Harimalala faced bigger challenges. “I feel ashamed with people and don’t dare go to church because people stare at me. People gossip, they talk – they say I have a big thing on my neck,” she said.
She also feared the condition would rob her of the chance to build a future.
“I can’t imagine what that’s like… seeing all the young people around you get on with their lives and do things like getting married and having families or other things,” said Dr. Collins. “She had a deep feeling that wasn’t going to happen for her.”
Her airway was so compromised that Mercy Ships staff raised concerns by email with Dr. Collins. Harimalala spent several months at the HOPE (Hospital OutPatient Extension Center, receiving care to reduce the size of the goiter before surgery could take place.
After a complex four-hour procedure, Harimalala was finally freed from the 1.35-kilogram mass, which was almost two pounds in weight.
After successful surgery, Harimalala reflected on her future.
“I really like necklaces, but I had goiter so I couldn’t wear it but now I can,” she said, smiling broadly. “I feel like I’ve entered a new life because the previous one, it was uncertain whether I would die or live.
“I can get married and have children now because the growth is gone,” she added.
