Alexandria residents Wang and her husband, Justin Lee, recently returned from four weeks in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where they worked aboard Africa Mercy, the world’s largest private hospital ship. Wang is a physician’s assistant, and Lee is an ophthalmologist. What inspired you to take the trip?
We both felt that we were born in America for no reason that we could control, and people are born in Sierra Leone for no reason they can control. We’ve been so blessed here, we felt we should give back. They’ve suffered through a terrible civil war, and we realized that we both have professions that allow us to help in very tangible ways.
Did any patients have an especially profound impact on you?
I think the person with the most impact on me was a 4-year-old girl, Marge. She was very bright, very playful, but very thin. And she had a mass growing on her face, and pushing her eye out. The condition is called fibrous dysplasia — it’s when good, healthy bone is replaced by soft, brittle bone that doesn’t grow normally. The surgeons removed it, but in recovery she developed a very high fever. It reminded me of the preciousness of life. I knew if this little girl was given a chance, she’d excel. We put her on antibiotics, and the fever came down. By the time she was discharged, she was back to playing with everyone.
What was the toughest thing you experienced?
I think just thinking about how to really effect change in that country. It seems that when a country already has some things going for it, it’s easier to effect change. But in Sierra Leone — even getting around town takes so long. Patients would live 5 kilometers away, and it’d take them three hours to get to the ship. Thinking about that, and other things we saw, you realize it’s so hard to bring real change.
Leah Fabel
