In this day and age when the media is just full of stories spreading fear and hatred, I really enjoyed this piece from 60 Minutes. The Mercy Ship travels the ports on the coast of Africa that used to be stops for slave traders. "The intersection of Courage and Compassion" is a great description of the people -- doctors, nurses, and those who run the ships -- as well as many of the poor and impoverished patients, many of whom will voluntarily sacrifice their own place in line to those with greater needs.
Click HERE to see this beautiful story. Many of them perform the same life altering surgeries as those done by the doctors and nurses of The Smile Train. Not unlike the stories told in the movies "The Elephant Man" and "Mask," some of these are people are women and children who are ostrocised from society. Many even die from otherwise benign tumors.
In our own world of modern medicine, such tumors are caught and removed early, before they are allowed to grow to the point that you cannot even recognize their faces as human beings. As the piece begins, much of the healing begins when the dotors and nurses greet these horribly disfigured children, women and men with love and respect.
The "unique business model" features doctors and nurses who actually pay their own way with donations, many from churches and private individuals.
You might get out your hankies.
