43-year-old Emmanuel has successfully undergone a life-saving surgery on the world’s largest floating medical facility, Mercy Ships.

Emmanuel was suffering from facial tumor sitting on his neck but became the first recipient of a surgery onboard the Global Mercy on Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown.

“We have been hearing about the ship for a long time, and we have been praying for you to come. Today is one of the happiest days in my life,” Emmanuel said.

The 43-year-old’s surgery is first of over 2,300 surgeries expected to be performed by the charity in the next 10 months.

The charity said they will offering specialised surgeries on patients.

“The life-changing surgeries delivered will include tumour removal, cleft lip and palate correction, cataract removal, orthopaedics and reconstructive plastics,” they said.

This is the sixth time Mercy Ships has partnered with the Sierra Leonean government to offer free surgeries to the local population.

The charity said it has hundreds of both local and foreign volunteers on the ground to help in their 10-month operation in the West African nation.

They said the Julius Maada Bio government requested their presence in the country.

“Around 65 volunteers from the UK and Ireland will be volunteering onboard the Global Mercy, which has now docked in freetown, Sierra Leone in response to an invitation from the country’s president, Julius Maada Bio,” the charity said.