When Armane was born, the traditional birth attendants assisting his mother, Roseline, hesitated to hand him over. Instead, they tried to hide his face from her. The birth attendants were concealing Armane’s cleft lip. Armane, the youngest of eight, was born with a condition that had never been seen or heard of in the remote African village. A cleft lip is a birth defect that develops while the baby is still in the womb.
In the months that followed Armane’s birth, Roseline struggled to navigate the challenges of nursing him – feeling alone and helpless. “I had to lie down on one side when I needed to breastfeed him because if he could not suck on the cleft lip, he wouldn't get any milk. I didn't get enough sleep either when we used a feeding bottle,” she said. “He was very weak; we had to give him vitamins… and he struggled to speak, too.”
Besides living in constant worry, Roseline also faced judgment and isolation from her own family and community members. “They thought he was cursed; he was not like the other kids. They even said he was not human but an animal,” she recalled, tears filling her eyes.
Roseline eventually met Mercy Ships volunteers. For the first time, she saw photographs of children with cleft lips who looked like Armane. The little boy’s elder sister, Lea, embarked on a four-day journey with her little brother to the Africa Mercy, where Armane would finally receive cleft lip repair surgery that would transform his life. They arrived at the HOPE Centre, where they received help and support throughout the process, from preparing for surgery to the operation and aftercare.
As Armane recovered from surgery, American Ward Nurse, Mollie Felder, took care of him. “I hope that he grows up knowing love and that he is worthy as a human being,” she said. Back in their village, Roseline couldn't contain her joy at Armane’s transformation. “Now that he has had the surgery, I'm so happy – so happy!” Roseline exclaimed.
Armane’s surgery transformed his life and brought hope to an entire village. “Most people thought that it [cleft lip] wouldn't be fixable, but when he arrived in the village, many people came to see him,” his mother shared. “They were very surprised.”
You can read more about Armane’s journey to transformation in our sister publication by following the link: https://devotedmag.co.za/magazines/#flipbook-resilience-and-restoration/1/
Watch Armane’s Video: https://youtu.be/zP-YR-mJ1j8