Through free orthopedic surgeries provided by Samaritan's Purse, once-hurting children in rural Nigeria realize a new hope for their future.
The children in the ward at ECWA Hospital in Egbe, Nigeria, murmur with curiosity as white-coated doctors from Samaritan’s Purse walk past their beds. Each of their mothers watch the foreign surgeons with anticipation.
The families in the crowded ward journeyed to Egbe with hope that a team of orthopedic surgeons from Samaritan’s Purse could heal their children through free surgeries. Still, there was skepticism, for many of these families had been promised healing before with no permanent solutions—whether by the local traditional healers or other hospitals in the region.
Each bed tells a story of a child without hope for the future because of a debilitating deformity or injury. But over the two weeks Samaritan’s Purse was serving in Egbe, the chance for a normal life began to seem possible. The murmurs of skepticism turned into squeals of laughter.
Getting Amos Back on the Soccer Field
Amos, 14, rocked back-and-forth as he lumbered into the hospital. Both his legs bowed at the knees, forcing his shins and femurs to curve. The outsides of his shoes were worn thin after years of uneven pressure from his supinated feet.
Dr. Greg Hellwarth, an orthopedic surgeon serving on the team in Nigeria, checks in on Amos following his successful surgery to fix his bow legs.
“I feel like crying,” the boy said. Wearing a soccer jersey, Amos explained how little he’s been able to play his favorite sport because of his bent legs. For years, schoolmates and family alike had ostracized him because of a deformity he had no control over.
Samaritan’s Purse orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg Hellwarth performed a bilateral osteotomy to straighten Amos’ legs, working alongside local Nigerian surgeons and other members of the Samaritan’s Purse team to bring Amos healing in Jesus’ Name.
Days later, Amos stood and took his first steps—on straight legs.
“I am happy that they came to straighten my legs,” Amos said. His mother also felt overwhelming relief now that they had found hope for the future: “Here, through [Samaritan’s Purse], there is finally an answer to our prayers for years.”
Once healed, Amos says he can’t wait to join his friends on the soccer field again.
When he heals, Amos can’t wait to play soccer again–now with straight legs.
Giving Abraham Another Reason for Joy
“Who is Abraham the father of?” people asked. “Many nations,” Abraham replied with a beaming smile.
With such severe bow legs at only 4 years old, Abraham was bound to have a difficult childhood. Despite his condition, he exuded joy.
“He doesn’t like seeing me sad or in hard situations,” Abraham’s mother said. “You will always see him smiling, and he doesn’t like to see others worry. If he sees me in a sad mood, he comes to hug me, plays with me, and tries to cheer me up.”
Despite his condition, Abraham’s smile beams. “I am so proud of my son,” his mother said when he came out of surgery.
Abraham’s family consulted multiple doctors at hospitals across Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, about his condition. However, even in the country’s most developed areas, surgeries to correct his legs are rare—and too expensive.
“I saw that it was getting worse, so we started talking to doctors,” Abraham’s mother said. “They said his condition was bad and they couldn’t do anything for us.”
As her son was wheeled into the operating room for surgery in Egbe, Abraham’s mother sang the hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” and prayed earnestly to the Lord for His protection throughout the operation.
When Abraham came out following the procedure, she lifted her hands and declared, “God is faithful; He will never disappoint.”
Our doctors performed 64 surgeries during the two-week campaign in Nigeria.
Mending Bones in Sisters Hellen and Eyiwumi
Hellen arrived in Egbe with a broken elbow after falling from a tree she had been climbing. It was the kind of simple accident any 7-year-old might have, but her injury went untreated until her older sister, Eyiwumi, suggested traveling to Egbe to have it repaired by Samaritan’s Purse doctors.
Eyiwumi had undergone surgery by a similar Samaritan’s Purse surgical team the year prior, and knew firsthand the quality care and genuine love her sister would receive.
Sisters Eyiwumi and Hellen both saw the Lord’s healing hand at work through World Medical Mission surgical teams.
“I walk without shame again, and I make sure to show everybody my leg,” Eyiwumi said. She had broken her lower left leg in a motorcycle accident before Samaritan’s Purse corrected the fracture in November 2024. “They made me walk well again,” she added.
Not only did both Hellen and Eyiwumi receive surgery from Samaritan’s Purse, but also from the same surgeon: Dr. Hellwarth, who served during orthopedic campaigns to Nigeria in 2024 and 2025.
Dr. Hellwarth (center left) has served with World Medical Mission for decades, performing surgeries in foreign operating rooms around the world for God’s glory.
“God has given me some talents and skills to share, and as long as I can, I want to keep doing that,” said Dr. Hellwarth, who has performed hundreds of surgeries with Samaritan’s Purse at mission hospitals and disaster zones around the world. “I hope that each patient is truly better than they were before … but the true reason we are here is to do this in Jesus’ Name.”
Providing a New Path Forward for Nigeria’s Children
“Their bones break just like ours,” said Tracy-Lynn Schuster, a physical therapist from North Carolina who served on the team in Nigeria. “But we in the United States can automatically go to the hospital no matter where we are. Seeing people here without those same resources to heal themselves is tragic.”
After surgery, Schuster says that each patient is hesitant when she first begins their rehabilitation, but soon they sense Christ’s love through her care.
Schuster talks with Hellen as she works through rehabilitation for her elbow. “It’s the honor of my life to serve these patients,” she said about her experience working with Samaritan’s Purse in Nigeria.
“It’s the greatest joy for me when I walk in and the children have big smiles on their faces,” she said. “When I’m with each patient everything around me fades and all I’m thinking about it how I can help this person. Then they start to open up—and when they finally stand and take those first steps, the pride and joy on their faces are just beautiful. It’s really sweet to see these kids change and that hope return to their eyes.”
Please keep Amos, Abraham, and Hellen in your prayers as they face a long road to full recovery. Pray also for the 52 other Nigerians who received life-changing surgery through the orthopedic campaign, asking that the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ planted in their hearts will continue to grow.
