Mom with mango-sized tumor gets life-saving surgery

By Amy Reast

A mom with a tumor the size of a mango that was slowly suffocating her traveled three days by ferry and canoe to get life-saving surgery.

Mom-of-three Theogette, 50, initially thought she was just suffering with a toothache a decade ago, and the tooth was removed by a dentist.

But Theogette, from a remote village in northern Madagascar, noticed in place of the tooth, a growth appeared, which began to get larger over the following years.

The growth spread along her jawline until it was the size of a mango, and began to restrict her airways and ability to eat.

It saw her become socially isolated by her community, who thought she was contagious — and in the end her husband left her as a result.

In early 2024, Theogette was tipped off that a hospital ship run by Mercy Ships was opening in Toamasina, Madagascar — although it was several hundred miles from her home in a remote village in the northwest region.

After 10 years of suffering, the single mom of three embarked on a three-day journey to the ship Africa Mercy, navigating by canoe and ferry.

After a three-hour surgery in June 2024, Theogette recovered and could return home with her smile back.

She said: “People said I was sick and contagious.

"They influenced my husband and he left me.

"I hope that, after the surgery, I can go back to the farm and be able to work and feed my kids."

Theogette first suffered with toothache, and after going to the dentist, the tooth was removed.

But the bump that appeared where the tooth had been continued growing, until it had spread across her jawline.

Left to raise three children independently, Theogette had to shoulder the responsibilities of a parent and provider.

She said: “I [had] to go to the farm to be able to feed my kids, although the swelling hurt when I worked for too long."

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Theogette endured 10 years of physical pain, emotional isolation, and relentless stigma from her community, who didn't "want me to come close to them," she said.

In Madagascar, only 20% of the population has access to surgical services and for 95% of the population, the cost of surgery would lead to financial ruin.

This means safe surgery is out of reach for nine out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa — even for conditions that are easily treatable.

One day, Theogette received an unexpected phone call from her nephew, Ronaldo, a medical student — who had heard about Mercy Ships.

Ronaldo said: “I got on the phone and called her to come here because I knew they could treat her."

With hope rekindled, Theogette embarked on a three-day journey to the Africa Mercy, navigating by canoe, ferry, and then a Mercy Ships vehicle.

Once she arrived, Theogette was welcomed at their HOPE Center by a team of volunteers.

Dietitian Janet Stucky described Theogette as undernourished and underweight.

Anesthesia provider Erik Andersen said the tumor was “benign, slow growing but with the ability to grow to an enormous size, compromising the patient’s quality of life, their airway, and their ability to eat food.”

She went under the knife on June 19, 2024, to remove the huge tumor, and the surgery was a success.

Operating Room Clinical Supervisor, Ali Herbert from Gloucestershire, said: "There was this incredible moment when Theogette looked in the mirror and put her hand up to her face.

"Then she realized that the tumor wasn’t there anymore and her hand could move much closer to her face again.

"It’s a precious time seeing the patient afterwards, able to gain weight again and return to their families.”

Following the surgery, Theogette had a long recovery process but weeks later she was discharged to return to her family — tumor free for the first time in a decade.

Royal London Hospital’s Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon, Dr. Leo Cheng, who performed the surgery on board, said: “Theogette's tumor not only affected her appearance, but her function of speech, communication, chewing, swallowing and breathing were all affected.

"If it were not for Mercy Ships, Theogette could have died by slow suffocation as her oxygen supply would have slowly turned off – an awful way to die.”