Walking Into Hope: Mohamed’s Journey From Pain To Possibility
Mohamed, orthopedics patient, before his operation.
Thirteen-year-old Mohamed is bold, bubbly, and charismatic. He is the eighth of nine children and comes from Koinadugu, a district in the northern province of Sierra Leone. His story is one of resilience and restoration.
Mohamed was an active child who embraced all the joys of childhood. He ran around and played with his friends without any limitations.
But in 2020, while the world was in lockdown, a different kind of lockdown occurred for Mohamed; his legs suddenly began to bend without any apparent cause.
Walking gradually became painful. “I was feeling pain when my feet started going inside,” he explained. “Even when I’m sleeping, I will often wake up crying because of the pain.”
Many Challenges, One Hope
As time passed, Mohamed’s condition worsened and led to mobility challenges.
“I was the best footballer among all the young guys in my village, but when I started feeling the pain, I couldn’t play again.”
At school, things also changed as Mohamed faced provocation from his peers because of his condition.
Getting to school wasn’t any easier. Mohamed either had to walk up and down at least two hills or ride his bicycle. “I used to ride a bicycle to school before. But when the condition started, I was no longer able to ride again.”
He continued, “When I leave the house, because there are hills between our house and school, sometimes I’m not able to climb the hill. Sometimes, as soon as I come down the hill, I’m not able to continue walking and I return home.”
As a result, Mohamed missed many classes. Participating in sporting activities at school was one of his greatest joys, but this was also put on hold.
His condition also kept him from helping his mother on the farm. “My friends and I used to go and fetch firewood for our parents. But when my leg started paining me, I was no longer able to go again,” he said.
The responsibilities awaiting him as an adult in Sierra Leone weren’t lost on Mohamed. So, he made a choice. In 2023, he began taking tailoring lessons. “Because of the pain in my legs, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do certain jobs, so I decided to learn tailoring.” But even this proved to be a difficult task for Mohamed.
Mohamed, during rehab with Kathleen Bardwell, Physical Therapist.
In Search of a Miracle
As Mohamed’s condition worsened, his family sprang into action. The situation wasn’t so new to them: according to Mohamed, “Two of my brothers were born with the same condition, but mine is the worst – my brothers had it on one leg, but mine is both.”
His eldest brother still lives with the condition. But his other brother Shaku, who accompanied him to the ship, has straight legs. “The traditional treatment method worked for him, that’s why his legs are much better,” Mohamed shared.
Shaku explained that the traditional method involved tying both legs with a specific collection of leaves throughout the night. The process is repeated until the legs straighten out. Mohamed’s mother took him for the same treatment but there was no improvement.
At one point, some visitors came to Mohamed’s village and registered him for surgery in Freetown. He traveled with his father for the appointment.
After assessment, they were asked to pay 50 million Leones for the surgery and an additional 570 Leones for an X-ray. “My father told them he doesn’t have money, even the one for the X-ray,” Mohamed recounted.
They returned home without any hope for treatment in sight.
“My mother said one day, God will send people that will come and perform the surgery,” Mohamed said. “So, we waited until we heard about Mercy Ships. I was feeling the pain for five years before Mercy Ships came and did the operation for me.”
It was a friend in school who told Mohamed about a woman whose daughter received surgery on board the Global Mercy™.
He went home and told his parents about the ship. A few months later, Mercy Ships arrived for patient registration in Kabala, and Mohamed excitedly registered.
A New Chapter Begins With Mercy Ships
Once on board the Global Mercy, Mohamed was diagnosed with bilateral knock-knee; a condition where both knees turn inward, touching each other while the ankles remain apart.
“My first impression of Mohamed was that he was super smart. From the moment I met him, he was just so happy to be here. He is special, for sure,” shared Bailey Havis, a volunteer ward nurse from the US.
“The volunteers are really friendly. They were playing with me, talking with me, and encouraging me. Everyone was very nice and playful,” said Mohamed.
When Mohamed was approved for surgery, he was overjoyed and full of anticipation for the future. He underwent successful surgery on January 29, 2025.
“After surgery when I looked at my legs, I was happy,” he recounted.
Mohamed, dancing during his final discharge.
Rebuilding Strength One Step at a Time
Rehabilitation took four months and was intensive. But through it all, Mohamed’s strength and resilience shone through.
During this time, he practiced and sharpened his mathematics skills with Bailey, his padi – the Krio word for friend. “I am grateful for all the mathematics lessons. There was a lot I didn’t know, but I have learned a lot from Bailey,” he said.
With each step, his legs got stronger, and his confidence grew. On the day his casts were removed, he said, “I am happy seeing my casts removed. Now that my legs are straight, people will no longer provoke me.”
During one of his rehabilitation appointments, Mohamed had the opportunity to walk all the way up the stairs to the bridge, where he met Captain Ian Lawrence.
Capt. Lawrence graciously gave him a tour of the bridge and let him sit in the captain’s seat. “It’s not everyone that gets the opportunity to see the captain and take pictures with him, so I am very grateful,” said Mohamed.
Mohamed, meeting Ian Lawrence, Captain, and getting a tour of the bridge.
A New Day With New Possibilities
With rehabilitation completed, Mohamed was discharged to return home and resume his life, free from pain and open to possibilities.
He is very eager to resume school. “Now, my friends will be happy for me because my legs are straight,” he said, adding that his mother will be happy as well, “I am back with straight legs and I can help her with domestic chores.”
He also looks forward to taking part in sporting activities with his friends again and is also excited to continue to learn tailoring.
Mohamed’s future goals are now back on track as he wants to become a bank manager. He believes this will enable him to support his family financially.
“Without this surgery, I was not going to be able to do many things. But now that I have gotten it, I can do many things and work hard to help me and my family.”
Mohamed, during a home visit.
