Guido Köhler and Collette Thomson are plastic surgeons at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and, every year, the duo volunteer to join Christian charity Mercy Ships to use their skills to provide free, life-changing surgery to women, men and children who would otherwise have little or no access to healthcare.
For Guido, who worships with his family at EAST church in Norwich, the connection began long before he ever stepped aboard a hospital ship.
“When I was a child, I had a dream of a big white ship,” he recalls. “For years I forgot about it, but the first time I arrived at the Anastasis ship in Sierre Leone in 2002, this memory came flashing back.”
Guido’s first experience with Mercy Ships remains etched in his memory.
“I will never forget that first time volunteering in Sierra Leone,” said Guido. “The devastating civil war had recently ended and it was so hard to see the war-torn country – many people displaced, war wounds and severe healthcare needs. Seeing advanced tumors that you’d never see in higher-income countries was really heartbreaking.”
The need remains immense. Today, safe surgery is still out of reach for nine out of ten people in sub-Saharan Africa. Conditions that could be easily treated often leave people living with pain, disability and social isolation.
On board the Mercy Ships, volunteer surgeons, nurses, cooks, engineers, teachers and many others come from around the globe to give patients free, vital healthcare. Every year, around 3,000 surgeries are performed, transforming lives and restoring futures
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More than two decades later, Guido continues to return year after year, making him one of the Christian charity’s longest-serving volunteer surgeons: “My faith is very important to me. I have been blessed in life through upbringing, training, gifting etc… things out of my control. I see it all as a blessing from God. He gave us the job to use our life to do things in this world which He would do, like operating on those who have no access to free, safe surgery."
For Guido, Mercy Ships has also had a profound impact on his own life.
In 2003, while serving on the Anastasis, he met his future wife, Serena, an American nurse volunteering on board. Together, they have raised three children, and recently the whole family returned to serve on the Global Mercy.
“I was asked to cover Christmas and New Year in the hospital, so that other volunteers could have a break,” explains Guido. “To make it work we decided to go out as a family. My children are 13, 15 and 17. It was really special having them onboard; they’d come down with me to the ward to meet the patients. Even now they’re still talking about the experience and we’re considering going out again to volunteer this Christmas.”
Their temporary home was no ordinary ship. The Global Mercy is the world's largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship. Measuring 174 metres long and weighing 37,000 GT, the ship features six operating rooms, a hospital deck with 200 beds, a laboratory and various clinics, including general outpatient, eye and dental clinics. The Global Mercy also has first-class training facilities for local medical professionals and is home to up to 600 volunteers who serve on board.
For fellow Norfolk surgeon Collette Thomson, it was hearing Guido's experiences – and knowing she would be joining a world-class medical team – that gave her the confidence to volunteer.
“I heard first-hand from Guido about what it’s like to work on the ships,” explains Collette. “Knowing that Mercy Ships has a very safe, consistent environment with all the gear you need, plus an excellent rehabilitation team, means that you’re leaving each patient in safe hands.”
Since then, Collette has volunteered in Madagascar and Sierra Leone and is preparing for her fourth assignment with Mercy Ships in Ghana.
Yet it's not just the surgery that keeps drawing her back. “One of the things I love on board is the ship-wide community,” explains Collette. “The work is really busy but then you’ll eat your lunch with an engineer or a Sierra Leone day crew, or even the Captain and hear about all they’re involved in.
“There have been times when we’ve had really difficult surgical cases and the whole ship will be praying. I’ll come up for my dinner and crew members will stop me and tell me they’re praying. It’s so amazing to have that kind of support in a working environment.”
It takes a crew to run a hospital ship, both abroad and at home. Only 50 per cent of our volunteers are medics. No matter your skills, Mercy Ships have a place for you.
Find out more about volunteering with Mercy Ships on Network Norfolk.
Find out how to volunteer with Mercy Ships, at: mercyships.org.uk/volunteer
Pictured, from the top is Guido Köhler (on the left), operating with long-time colleague Tertius Venter from South Africa; Guido Köhler and Norfolk colleague Collette Thomson; Guido Köhler with wife Serena and their three children on board the Global Mercy: and the Global Mercy. Pictures by Mercy Ships.
Pierre was 12 when he had surgery on the Africa Mercy in Madagascar. When he was six months old, a severe infection appeared on his face and spread to his arms, causing extensive skin damage and leaving large open wounds. For months, the family sought treatment, visiting doctors and spending what little they had.
Eventually, the infection healed. But as the wounds closed, his skin tightened, pulling his right arm into a contracture. His elbow, wrist, and fingers locked and immobility set in.
A 10-hour surgery on the Africa Mercy ship with volunteer plastic surgeons, gave Pierre a straight arm so that now he can cycle comfortably, hold an axe and take part in family work on the farm.
(Author: )
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