A British GP has moved his entire family out of his home and Manchester to start a new life living on a hospital ship 4,000 miles away in Sierra Leone.
Simon Latham, 39, and his wife Amélie, 43, first applied to work on a hospital ship several years ago, hoping to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate.
After hearing nothing at first, the couple forgot about their request and years passed before they received an unexpected call asking them to move onto the ship. with his three daughters: Zara, 14, Héloïse, 12, and Sophie, 10.
Within two months, the family packed up and put their four-bedroom house in Sale, Greater Manchester, up for sale.
A British GP, pictured left, moved his entire family, pictured, out of their home and Manchester to start a new life and live on a hospital ship 4,000 miles away in Sierra Leone .
Simon Latham, pictured, is a 39-year-old GP who previously lived in Sale in Greater Manchester.
Simon’s wife Amélie, pictured left, works on board as a physical education teacher, while their daughters, including Heloise (right), attend school on board.
The couple would live in a cabin and volunteer on the charity hospital ship Global Mercy, bringing life-changing surgeries and training to people in sub-Saharan Africa, where access to healthcare is very limited.
Now, Simon works on board as a family doctor and Amélie as a physical education teacher, while their daughters attend the onboard school.
The family has been docked off the coast of Freetown, Sierra Leone, for nine months and says the experience has changed all of their lives.
Simon said: “I don’t see myself going back to my normal job.
“There is too much to do in this context to feel like I can go back.”
The family of five received a phone call inviting them to join the ship in February 2023, which left them stunned but still excited. do something to help people access surgical care who couldn’t.
Simon first made his way to the ship, where it docked in Senegal in April 2023 and was then given the opportunity to make the decision on whether he felt the family should also make the leap.
After two months on the ship, Simon also brought his children, three daughters, on board: Zara, 14, Héloïse, 12, and Sophie, 10, pictured.
Simón and the family boarding the ship. The family doctor sold the family home in Manchester and took the opportunity to take his wife and children on board the ship
Simon and his family raising the flags of Great Britain, France and Sierra Leone
The family photographed smiling together for a family photo in front of the medical ship
He came back and decided it was the right decision, and by June they were packed and on their way to their new life.
Amélie said: “Say goodbye to everyone, get vaccinated, pack our bags for two years, finish all our sports clubs and girls’ schools.
“Packing for two years for a family of five isn’t easy, but it was liberating.
“When we took the flight to leave on June 18, we were exhausted.”
They moved into a family cabin aboard Global Mercy, run by medical charity Mercy Ships, which has performed more than 117,000 life-changing or life-saving surgeries on people in struggling countries.
Nine in 10 people living in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to safe and affordable surgical care when they need it, according to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery.
Now, instead of the numerous patients Simon treated in Manchester with Trafford Local Care Organisation, he now sees the entire crew from over 50 countries.
He is also involved in caring for patients in Sierra Leone who have spent years seeking surgery for serious and life-limiting conditions.
In addition to the common illnesses he faced at home, he now also keeps an eye out for tropical diseases and other unusual conditions, which he admits makes his daily job “exciting.”
Simon said: “I can see the impact here in a way I’ve never seen before. What we can do and the change we can achieve is transformative.”
“The other day I cried during a visit to the ward and I don’t cry much.
“There was a lady who had come to undergo surgery for a huge tumor, one that she had suffered from for a long time and that disfigured her face and made her life very difficult.
“The bandages were coming off and everyone was saying ‘wow’ and she just smiled politely at people’s reaction.
“But then someone handed him a mirror and his face, which had been quite sullen, completely lit up.
“It was absolutely wonderful to see what it meant to her. Seeing these things is life-changing.”
It’s not just Simon who experiences this life-changing work first-hand.
Amélie helps patients in the Lower Care Unit (LCU) after surgery, and Zara has also worked there to gain work experience.
Amélie pictured in the Lower Care Unit (LCU) where she helps patients after surgery
Simon, Amélie and their three children pose together on the beach
The family taking a selfie together. Since boarding the ship, all of the couple’s daughters have been inspired to pursue careers “where they can help others and give back.”
Sophie, who was going into sixth form in Manchester, is in fifth grade at the school’s fully accredited onboard academy, just one deck above her bedrooms.
Zara had been scheduled for Year 10 and Héloïse for Year 8 in the UK, they are now on board for Grade 9 and Grade 7.
With only a handful of classmates, the girls are learning new languages to communicate with new international friends, whose parents are also volunteers.
Her new life has had such a profound impact on the entire family and has even inspired the future careers of all three daughters.
Amélie said: “The three girls now want to do work where they can help others and give something back.
“They can’t see it any other way after the experiences they’re having and seeing the incredible need.
“It’s been life-changing for all of us.”
Simon added: “The things we have seen mean that things cannot go back to the way they were for any of us; we cannot close our eyes and ears to how some people have to live.”
“It has changed us all. We were all very comfortable at home.
“Life will never be the same for any of us, and that’s a good thing.”
