Emotional moment a mother and her daughter reunite with the nurse who saved their lives 30 years earlier

Catherine, from Sierra Leone, said she ‘cried and cried’ upon seeing the nurse
READ MORE: Emotional moment mother and son are reunited after 31 YEARS

A mum and daughter who almost died during childbirth 30 years ago have been joyfully reunited with the nurse who helped saved their lives.

Catherine Conteh, then 18, and her unborn daughter Regina were in the midst of a gruelling four-day labour at a hospital in Sierra Leone when things took a turn for the worst. To save her and her baby’s life, Catherine was told she would need a £70 Caesarean section which at the time she couldn’t afford.

Nurse Aly Hogarth-Hall, then in her 20s, was touring the hospital in 1993 on a visit from a nearby charity. Upon learning of Catherine’s fate she stepped in to help, managing to raise the life-saving funds in the nick of time.

Unfortunately. the trio lost touch for decades until they reunited face-to-face – when they volunteered at healthcare charity Global Mercy in Sierra Leone.

Catherine, 48, recalls the incredible moment: ‘To see her [Aly] in person again, I couldn’t believe it. We just sobbed. We cried and cried’.

Catherine Conteh, 48, who almost died during childbirth 30 years ago, has been joyfully reunited with nurse Aly Hogarth-Hall, 52, who helped save her and her unborn baby’s life

Catherine’s daughter Regina is now all grown up now. She volunteers as a nurse at healthcare charity Global Mercy alongside her mum and Aly

Catherine is pictured here with her husband cradling their newborn Regina at the hospital, just moments after the life-changing C-section

Aly, now 52, from New Zealand, said it was all too ‘surreal’. She added: ‘To see Catherine again, it’s very surreal really.

‘It’s not something I ever expected until we made contact again, 18 months ago or so. So it was overwhelming’.

The women – including now grown up Regina – saw each other after they began a stint of volunteering earlier this month.

The trio volunteer for a healthcare charity on a Mercy Ships hospital boat docked in Sierra Leone.

Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical care.

Aly currently volunteers on board the boat, while Catherine works in the dining room. Meanwhile Regina is on nursing duties.

Aly spoke on the frightening moment 30 years ago when Catherine was giving birth in a maternity hospital in Freetown.

The nurse was visiting as part of a tour on a hospital ship run by Mercy Ships and heard a woman’s cries of pain.

Aly, from New Zealand , said it was all too ‘surreal’ seeing Catherine again three decades later

Aly and her husband Arnie (pictured centre) are moved to tears after meeting Catherine face-to-face

Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical car

‘The nurse told me that she [Catherine] would die, and the baby would die’ said Aly.

Catherine needed a C-section to save her and Regina’s lives – but was unable to afford the £70 surgery – equivalent to six months’ salary in Sierra Leone.

Aly informed her colleague, British anaesthetist Dr Keith Thomson of the dire situation and he immediately paid for the surgery.

That was the very first moment Catherine met Aly and Keith.

Speaking on the life-changing moment, Catherine added: ‘I could literally feel my strength falling out of my whole body.

‘Then the nurses came up to me and explained, “Look, these strangers who came in are going to pay for your Caesarean section”.’

Thankfully both Catherine and her baby Regina survived and were healthy.

Aly continued to visit Catherine in the hospital while she recovered, helping to dress her wound and even teaching her how to breastfeed.

Catherine needed a C-section to save her and Regina’s lives – but was unable to afford the £70 surgery so Aly informed her colleague, British anaesthetist Dr Keith Thomson of the dire situation and he immediately paid for the surgery. (Pictured: Dr. Keith Thomson (standing centre) with Catherine Conteh, her husband, and their daughter, Regina)

Happy times! Dr. Keith Thomson and Catherine Conteh at Regina Conteh’s wedding

Happy family! Catherine, her husband and their daughter Regina are all smiles years later

Although they became friends, they all lost touch when Aly returned home to New Zealand and Regina gained asylum in Australia.

Catherine and Regina both became nurses, a decision they say was inspired by Aly, while Regina is now raising a child of her own.

Catherine regularly returns back home to Sierra Leone to serve her local community and has raised funds to launch her own school.

Dr Thomson also kept in touch with the family and managed to track down Aly in 2021 via social media in a bid to reunite her with the pair. He sadly passed away from cancer in April 2021.

WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL REASONS FOR A CAESAREAN?

There are various reasons why a doctor may recommend that you have a caesarean section instead of giving birth vaginally.

If you had complications in a previous pregnancy or birth, or in your current pregnancy, you may be advised to have what’s called a planned or elective caesarean, or a planned repeat caesarean.

If you were planning to give birth vaginally, but complications during labour or birth mean that you’re advised to give birth by caesarean, you’ll have what’s called an unplanned or emergency caesarean.

Here are some reasons why doctors may opt for a planned or emergency caesarean, rather than a vaginal birth:

You’ve already had at least one caesarean section.
Your baby is in a bottom-down, or breech, position.
Your baby is in a sideways (transverse) position, or keeps changing its position (unstable lie).
You have a low-lying placenta (placenta praevia).
You have a medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes.
You have lost a baby in the past, either before or during labour.
You’re expecting twins or more.
Your baby is not growing as well as it should be in your womb.
You have severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, making it dangerous to delay the birth.

Source: BabyCentre

It’s Aly’s first stint back with the Global Mercy charity since she met Catherine, who is a first-time volunteer.

Aly calls it a ‘legacy’ fulfilled, saying: ‘This is Dr Thomson’s legacy in a way. This is a tribute to him in a lot of ways because his dream was for us to come together here’.

Aly and Catherine will spend the next month volunteering while the ship’s crew carry out surgeries and train more than 200 Sierra Leonean healthcare professionals.

Their bond remains as strong as ever – and this time, they have no plans to lose touch ever again.

Catherine said: ‘I call her sister and she calls me sister because it takes a pure heart and someone with pure love’

Aly added: ‘When I came back to New Zealand, it was a story I carried in my heart. I thought about her every time I told that story for the last 30 years.

‘I know it was a significant time, realising that you can make a real difference by doing something’.

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