A boy who had his legs straightened by a health charity ten years ago has been back onboard the ship that transformed his life as it returned to his home country to offer more free life-changing surgeries.

Romino, now 12, was just a toddler when his legs started to bow. His parents saw he was struggling to walk and knew they could not get him the surgery he needed in their home of Madagascar.

He had faint memories of the giant hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, and people that helped him. But he never imagined he would step back on board and neither did his mother, Claudia.

She said: “I’m so happy, I’m happy because I never thought I was coming back here, I was going to see the ship again, I would be given a tour. I never thought I would be able to see the things I saw back then. I didn’t expect there would be a follow up for him.”

Tilos, as he is fondly called by those close to him, can today walk and run effortlessly on his straight legs after the surgery he received at aged three changed his future.

He said: “I remember when they [Mercy Ships] taught me how to walk again and when they picked us up at our house.”

His mother recalled the first moment she noticed that something was wrong with her son’s legs.

She said: “He didn’t have bowed legs when he was born. But his legs started to change when he was two and a half years old. When he started to walk, then, we really noticed his legs changing gradually, and we wondered if he had bowed legs.”

Claudia continued observing him and noticed his legs becoming more bent as he grew. This worried her, so she sought help from a traditional doctor who recommended leg massages as a cure. Claudia had hardly spent a month following this treatment plan when she heard that international charity Mercy Ships was coming to her country to provide free surgical care for children with conditions like Romino’s. 

She said: “The massage didn’t even last a month; we were doing the massage when they [Mercy Ships] came and I decided that I would take him for surgery.”

Soccer fan Tilos, says he wins most running races against his friends today and wants to become a doctor, like those who changed his life. He said it was: “I want to give people the same healing that I received”.

Claudia added: “People are surprised when they see him, because no one believed that he would look like this. They thought he would have the same legs. However, he’s like this now and they even ask, ‘Is it you? Is this Tilos? Is this Tilos?’”

Mercy Ships hospital ship is docked in the port of Toamasina, where Romino went onboard, delivering more than 1,000 new surgeries and training to in country medical professionals in 2024.

This marks Mercy Ships’ fourth field service in Madagascar, following previous visits in 1996, 2015 and 2016. Over the course of previous visits, Mercy Ships collaborated with the government and Ministry of Health to provide more than 6,425 life-changing surgical procedures and over 52,395 dental procedures. In addition to these surgeries, Mercy Ships has a longstanding commitment to education, having trained 2,019 healthcare professionals in the past.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mercy Ships.

For more Information about Mercy Ships, contact:
Sophie Barnett
Mercy Ships International PR Manager
sophie.barnett@mercyships.org

About Mercy Ships:  
Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical care. An international faith-based organization, Mercy Ships has focused entirely on partnering with African nations for the past three decades. Working with in-country partners, Mercy Ships also provides training to local healthcare professionals and supports the construction of in-country medical infrastructure to leave a lasting impact.   

Each year, more than 3,000 volunteer professionals from over 60 countries serve on board the world’s two largest non-governmental hospital ships, the Africa Mercy® and the Global Mercy™. Professionals such as surgeons, dentists, nurses, health trainers, cooks, and engineers dedicate their time and skills to accelerate access to safe surgical, obstetric and anesthetic care. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has offices in 16 countries as well as an Africa Service Center in Dakar, Senegal. For more information, visit www.MercyShips.org and follow @MercyShips on social media.  

Canon Inc. (Canon-CNA.com) announced that it is developing the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens for its popular EOS R7 camera, enabling users to capture life’s most precious moments in spatial video, and then relive those memories on the Apple Vision Pro. The new DUAL lens is the latest addition to Canon’s EOS VR System lineup and will be available later this year. Canon is the first camera manufacturer to introduce a dedicated, interchangeable lens that enables pro users to capture stunning spatial video to experience on the Apple Vision Pro.

With the RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens, videographers can record gorgeous spatial video even in the most challenging lighting conditions. After capturing video with the interchangeable lens, the EOS VR Utility app transforms the video captured from the camera to spatial video, which viewers can enjoy on the Apple Vision Pro.

The RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens features a field angle that is similar to a person’s field of view, which enables videographers to naturally capture memorable moments. The lens is also equipped with a high-speed autofocus mechanism, so users of all levels can record amazing spatial video.

Canon launched the EOS VR System for capturing immersive and VR video in 2021, and since then has met the needs for video production in diverse fields including entertainment, tourism, and education. The EOS VR System features dual lenses and utilises the left and right lenses to produce beautiful content with incredible depth and dimension. To streamline the video production workflow, the light entering from the respective lenses is recorded on a single CMOS sensor, which eliminates the need for camera position adjustments or synchronization prior to shooting, or the need for piecing together footage after filming.

The RF-S 7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens is the latest example of how Canon is continuing to meet the creative needs of pro users who strive to produce stunning immersive video as they explore new ways of storytelling.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).

Media enquiries, please contact: 
Canon Central and North Africa
Mai Youssef
e. Mai.youssef@canon-me.com

APO Group – PR Agency
Rania ElRafie
e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com

About Canon Central and North Africa
Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (Canon-CNA.com) is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA in 2016 was a strategic step that aimed to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operating closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market.

Canon has been represented in the African continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region. CCNA ensures the provision of high quality, technologically advanced products that meet the requirements of Africa’s rapidly evolving marketplace. With over 100 employees, CCNA manages sales and marketing activities across 44 countries in Africa.

Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei (http://apo-opa.co/4bK66gP) – ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At Canon, we are pioneers, constantly redefining the world of imaging for the greater good. Through our technology and our spirit of innovation, we push the bounds of what is possible – helping us to see our world in ways we never have before. We help bring creativity to life, one image at a time. Because when we can see our world, we can transform it for the better.

For more information: Canon-CNA.com

Government workers in Logo-Anseba sub-zone extended 98 thousand Nakfa in support of families of martyrs in their area.

Mr. Abraham Hagos, administrator of the sub-zone, said that the money that the Government workers extended was distributed to families of martyrs that were identified by the concerned bodies in their areas of residence.

Similarly, residents of Liban, Deki-Shehay and Mekerka administrative areas contributed 27 thousand 500 Nakfa, 7 thousand 500 Nakfa and 10 thousand Nakfa respectively in support of families of martyrs.

Government employees and well-off individuals in Nakfa sub-zone also contributed 81 thousand Nakfa in support of families of martyrs. The contribution was made at the popular campaign they conducted in connection with Martyrs Day.

In related news, Foro and Dekemhare sub-zones, in connection of Martyrs Day, extended over 800 thousand Nakfa in support of families of martyrs.

In Foro sub-zone, 81 thousand Nakfa contributed by Government and PFDJ employees, national associations in the Northern Red Sea Region was distributed to disadvantaged families of martyrs.

The office of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in Foro sub-zone distributed 10 thousand each to 35 foster families, disabled individuals and elders across all administrative areas in the sub-zone.

In other news, 124 thousand 908 Nakfa contributed by Government employees in Dekemhare sub-zone was disbursed to families of martyrs across 18 administrative areas. Residents of all administrative areas in the sub-zone also contributed 200 thousand 392 Nakfa.

Youth workers organization in the Southern Red Sea Region also contributed 120 thousand Nakfa in support of families of martyrs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

Eritrean nationals across the globe, including in the US, Africa, and the Middle East, marked Martyrs Day with fervent patriotic zeal.

Commemorative events took place in over 30 German cities; Boston-Massachusetts, the US; in the South Sudan cities of Juba, Aweil, Bantiu, Nimule and Yambio; Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Seattle-Washington in the US; in the UK cities of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leads, Sheffield, Leister, New Castle, Liverpool, Nottingham, Coventry, Bristol, Cardiff, Wakefield, Middleborough, South Hampton, as well as in Scotland; and cities in the Scandinavian countries. At the events the nationals pledged to strengthen participation and contribution in the national development drives.

Participants honored the day with candlelight vigils, walkathons, and a variety of cultural and artistic programs that highlighted the significance of the occasion.

In a notable show of solidarity and support, Diaspora communities also pledged to enhance their contributions in support of families of martyrs.

At the ceremony conducted in Boston-Massachusetts and its environs the nationals contributed over 25 thousand Dollars, nationals in Johannesburg contributed 25 thousand 500 Rand and assumed the responsibility of supporting five families of martyrs. Nationals in Stockholm also contributed over 60 thousand Kroner.

These contributions underscore the global Eritrean community’s ongoing commitment to their homeland’s development and honor and respect they have towards their martyrs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.