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The doctor performing life-changing surgery on a ship

Mercy Ships Fudia, before her surgery, she stands outside in a dockyard, with a white and blue Mercy Ship in the background. Fudia wears her hair in braids, with a slate grey short sleeved cotton t shirt and a gold foil star on the front, she has pale pink capri shorts and wears black platform sliders, her legs are severely bowed and the knees, with her feet pointing inwards.Mercy Ships
Fudia, 10, from Sierra Leone had to have life-transforming surgery to straighten her severely bowed legs

There is an "enourmous need" for life-changing surgeries on the world's largest floating hospital, an Oxford surgeon says.

Rachel Buckingham spends most of her time working as a consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals Trust.

But twice a year, she volunteers with Mercy Ships, to provide free surgeries to children who would not have access otherwise.

Fudia, a 10-year-old from Sierra Leone, is one of those children. She now stands 14cm (5.5in) taller after Dr Buckingham operated on Fudia's severely bowed legs.

Mercy Ships Fudia is in a physical therapy room after her surgery. There is a physiotherapist standing behind her holding a wheelchair, she is standing upright with another physiotherapist kneeling by her side. Fudia wears her hair in braids, a thin strapped white nightie with red and pink floral print. She has neon pink casts on both legs, with blue taping and velcro strapped boots on her feet. Fudia is holding onto a walking frame. The male physical therapist next to her is supporting Fudia with his hand at her back, he has long brown hair tied into a bun and wears a medical face mask. There are other children in the background receiving support from therapists too.Mercy Ships
Fudia received physical therapy after the surgery to help her learn to walk again

The international charity, Mercy Ships, organised the three-hour surgery performed by Dr Buckingham.

She said: “I will never forget the first time I met Fudia. Every step was an agonising effort. Her legs were so severely twisted that walking was a daily battle.

“I’ve met many children who need urgent surgery, but something about Fudia’s quiet courage struck me deeply.

"Despite the suffering she’s endured, losing her parents at a very young age, being turned away from hospitals that couldn’t help her, she held on to hope.”

Dr Rachel Buckingham makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Mercy Ships

Fudia was diagnosed with Blount's disease, a condition which causes severe leg deformities in young children and adolescents.

The condition caused her legs to bow and feet to turn inward at 90 degree angles.

Her uncle and guardian, Joseph, explained: “We noticed it the very first day she was born, her legs were not normal.”

Both Fudia's parents had died by the time she was seven and her uncle Joseph said school was difficult because she was "mocked".

Mercy Ships Fudia is in a hospital bed, smiling at the camera, she is sat upright, her hair in braids wearing a white nightie with pink and yellow flowers and a pink unzipped hoodie over the top. Dr Rachel Buckingham is standing to Fudia's left, she has black hair tied up in a bun and wears plastic framed glasses and navy blue scrubs, she is smiling while looking down at a syringe tending to Fudia. A second medic is standing behind Fudia, wearing navy blue scrubs, her hair tied up in a high ponytail and smiling at the cameraMercy Ships
Dr Rachel Buckingham volunteers on Global Mercy and says there was something about Fudia's case which stayed with her

Determined to find help, Joseph took his niece to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to seek treatment at local hospitals.

They were advised to wait for the return of Mercy Ships, so Joseph moved his family to Freetown, where they waited for six years for a ship to arrive in 2023.

Dr Buckingham carried out the surgery as she volunteers with Mercy Ships twice a year, doing one rotation on board the Global Mercy and the other on Africa Mercy.

She said about 90% of the surgeries they offer are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The doctor explained: "It's a fabulous charity, we have people who volunteer from around 60 different countries and we all come together to live and work together and these ships provide surgery for people who would otherwise not have access to safe or affordable surgery."

Mercy Ships Fudia, after her surgery, she stands outside in a different section of the dockyard, with a white and blue Mercy Ship in the background, as well as a number of parked white jeeps. Fudia wears her hair in braids, with a slate grey short sleeved cotton t shirt and a gold foil star on the front, she has pale pink capri shorts and wears black platform sliders. She is smiling, with her legs straighter and now wears black trainers with neon pink laces.Mercy Ships
Fudia was 14cm taller after the surgery, performed by Oxford surgeon Rachel Buckingham

Dr Buckingham said Fudia is "doing great" and now able to walk with less pain.

She continued: "The smile says it all, she's doing wonderfully she can now walk more easily and that means she can go to school and look forward to a future with hope."

The Oxford surgeon is preparing to return to Sierra Leone for three weeks in January 2025.

She added: "The need is enourmous, there are hundreds and hundreds of children just like Fudia who need this life changing surgery."

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