When paediatric nurse, Emma Janavicius, collapsed last year from an undiagnosed medical emergency, she had no idea that what began as a terrifying health crisis would become a catalyst for answering a long-postponed call by God to serve.
For years, Emma, 28, had felt stirred to volunteer with Mercy Ships, an international Christian charity providing free, transformative surgeries across sub-Saharan Africa.
But between personal tragedy and the busyness of life, she kept putting it off, until the Lord used her own suffering to open her eyes to what truly matters.
“Throughout it all, I felt like the Lord was protecting me and turning what was scary and unknown into a beautiful moment to reflect on His goodness and faithfulness,” Emma recalled. “He took what the enemy meant for evil and turned it for good.”
Her health crisis began with sudden, extreme abdominal pain and bloating, and within a few hours, Emma was rushed to hospital after collapsing multiple times.
Doctors discovered an ovarian cyst measuring 20cm that had ruptured and caused massive internal bleeding.
Surgeons removed more than three litres of blood in an emergency operation that, had it been delayed, would likely have ended in cardiac arrest.
“That experience of being so close to losing my own life made me realise that I needed to stop putting off all the things I wanted to do and instead take some time off and volunteer,” Emma said.
Her connection to Mercy Ships runs deep, first hearing about the charity through her local church in Brentwood, and again while studying at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford.
But the loss of her older brother at age nine had made her hesitant to leave home.
“After losing him, I always felt I the need to stay home and be near my family,” she explained. “So, although I was drawn to the idea of Mercy Ships, I never felt like I could go.”
Encouraged by a surgeon colleague and a long-time Mercy Ships volunteer, Leo Cheng, Emma finally applied and joined the Sierra Leonean Global Mercy crew in January.
There, she used her medical training to care for children undergoing complex orthopaedic and maxillofacial surgeries.
She shared: “I received safe surgery when I desperately needed it and it saved my life. I decided it was my turn to volunteer and make this possible for other people.
“I think because of what I went through losing my brother at such a young age, I have this passion to help others and care for them from a medical perspective.
“It was a blessing to use my skills to bring hope and healing to those who are so often ostracised.
“It was one of the most rewarding experiences and it has shaped how I care for my patients going forward.
“Seeing their reactions after surgery and the instant sense of, ‘Wow’, was a massive privilege and amazing to be part of.”
Yet God had one more surprise in store.
As Emma’s service was nearing its end, her boyfriend, David, secretly flew to Sierra Leone and, with the help of her crewmates, planned a surprise beach proposal.
Emma recounted the magical experience: “My friends had organised a little leaving party for me, to one of the most beautiful Sierra Leoneon beaches, Bureh Beach. I thought we were just going for a swim and dinner. Without me knowing, my friends had planned for us to play a round of hide and seek, blind folded before commencing other beach games. I was the first one to count to 100 and little did I know that David was at the beach too. When I reached 100 and took the blindfold off, I screamed in surprise to see David in front of me.
“I couldn’t believe it when he got down on one knee, dug the ring box out of the sand in front of me and asked me to marry him.” Having returned to the UK, the couple are planning their wedding for the end of the year, with hopes of returning to serve with Mercy Ships together in the future.
