Our team embarked on an impactful journey to Sierra Leone. The trip began with nearly 24 hours of travel and brought together representatives from four institutions—Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins—working together under the Mission:BRAIN umbrella.
Our team included:
• Dr. Seunggu Han (Mission:BRAIN board member and Stanford faculty)
• Dr. Silvia Vaca (Neurosurgery resident, Stanford)
• Sophia Li (Harvard medical student and journalist)
• April Sabangan (Mission:BRAIN CEO)
We joined our Sierra Leonean partners in supporting the official launch of neurosurgical services at Connaught Hospital. Dr. Sonia Spencer, Dr. Kehinde Oluwadiya, Dr. Charles Senessie, Dr. Mustapha Kabba, and Dr. Dennis Marke were present to mark the occasion and speak about the significance of this milestone.
Mission:BRAIN brought essential instruments, supplies, and resources to support Dr. Alieu Kamara—Sierra Leone’s first neuro-trained surgeon and Mission:BRAIN scholar—as well as the country’s first nurses trained in neurotrauma. Our shared goal was to work side-by-side in training, mentorship, and system assessment to help ensure the sustainability of this new service.
As Dr. Spencer shared during the launch, this was the realization of a long-held dream: for Sierra Leoneans to finally have access to neurosurgical care. Below is a reflection on our time there.
Day 1: A First Step Forward
On our first official day at Connaught Hospital, we met a gentleman who had worked as a tailor, providing for his family. He arrived with complete loss of sensation in both his arms and legs, caused by a C3-4 spinal tumor. His condition had gradually worsened over the past 5–6 months. He came to Connaught after learning that the hospital had begun offering neurosurgical services.
When asked if he had any questions or concerns about the surgery, he replied that he was feeling something far beyond joy.
The following morning, he underwent successful decompression and partial tumor resection. By that evening, he could wiggle his toes and feel sensation in both legs. His wife stood beside him and watched it happen. While his full recovery will depend on many factors, this moment offered hope—something unimaginable just weeks ago.
As Dr. Q often reminds us, we are in the business of hope.
Day 2: Strength in Family, Strength in Community
Our second patient was a young man in his 30s who had sustained a serious spinal injury after falling from a palm tree while harvesting oil—his primary livelihood. He lives in a rural village in a mud house he built himself as a teenager. He supports his widowed mother, two young daughters, an elderly uncle, an aunt, and his sisters.
After his fall, his uncle carried him two miles down a mountain, and he endured a long, painful trip into the city—his first time ever visiting Freetown.
He was diagnosed with a lumbar fracture and required urgent decompression surgery. Without it, he would likely never walk again.
Following the operation, he regained movement in his legs and the progression of weakness was stopped. His outcome is still unfolding, but this marked a hopeful turning point. In a country where access to neurosurgical care had not existed until now, this surgery simply wouldn’t have been possible without the launch of services at Connaught Hospital.
His surgery was covered by a Mission:BRAIN donor. The cost? $300. His story is just one example of how support—whether large or small—can make a lasting impact.
Day 3: Building bridges means changing lives
Our third patient was a family member of a colleague within Sierra Leone’s medical community. Their case carried deep meaning.
Part of what motivated this program was the death of a young anesthesiologist, newly trained, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident while on his way to pick up his children. His colleagues could do nothing but watch. He died not because his injuries were untreatable—but because neurosurgical care simply didn’t exist.
That painful memory now stands beside a new reality. A few days after surgery, our third patient walked out of Connaught Hospital, free of the debilitating pain that had defined their daily life. It was a reminder that this program is not just about infrastructure—it’s about people, and the ability to care for one another.
Training, Partnership, and What Comes Next
Alongside patient care, we worked with the staff at Connaught Hospital—the people who make this possible every day. Dr. Alieu Kamara has taken on the responsibility of launching the country’s first neurosurgery program while continuing his work as an orthopedic surgeon. A calm and focused presence, Dr. Kamara speaks multiple languages and is deeply committed to serving his community.
We also spent time with the first group of neurotrauma-trained nurses in Sierra Leone. Their willingness to learn and eagerness to lead was clear in every interaction. In one session, they worked side-by-side with Dr. Han, Dr. Vaca, and April, asking questions and mastering new techniques.
Their work—and their courage—will help shape what neuro nursing looks like in Sierra Leone for years to come.
Looking Ahead
This work builds on foundational efforts that began in 2023, made possible through the support of many, including Dr. Fatu Conteh, Dr. Megan Still, Dr. Kee Park, and Dr. Tariq Khan. Since then, two surgeons and 24 nurses have been trained, and the Sierra Leone Mission:BRAIN Chapter has been established.
The trip ended with a meeting with Chief Minister David Sengeh, who shared his support for the program’s future. The team also spent time with the local MB chapter’s young leaders—students and emerging professionals who are already shaping the future of care in their country.
There is more work to do. But this was a meaningful step forward, built through partnership, trust, and shared purpose.
Mission:BRAIN remains committed to working alongside our partners in Sierra Leone, and around the world, to help make neurosurgical care accessible to all.
