INJURY

When Jiang suffered a serious head injury at sea and had to be airlifted to hospital, the Mission team in Falmouth supported him through a long recovery.

Weather conditions at sea were so rough that he had been forced to remain on his vessel for two days before a helicopter could take him to hospital. During this terrifying time he said his head felt as if it had swollen to twice its normal size, his eyes were so bruised he could not open them and he was in excruciating pain from dental damage. He later told MtS staff he had been convinced he would die on the ship.

Jiang was eventually flown to hospital, where surgeons performed crucial surgery. Mission staff and volunteers in nearby Falmouth supported him through his recovery.  “We provided him with new clothes and a small allowance to help him during his time in the UK,” says Penny Phillips of MtS Falmouth. “We welcomed him to our seafarers’ centre where he felt he had a base and could socialise with other crews and make phone calls and send emails to his family.” By the end of his 49-day stay Jiang was visiting the MtS centre almost daily for company and conversation. He said he would never forget those who had helped him through such a difficult time.

Shipwreck

Piracy

Unpaid wages

Bereavement

Homesickness

Family liaison