Jan 31, 2011 By Zach Shoaf For The 4 min read

College has a strange way of changing the direction of some people’s lives.

For one Uniontown man, four years in the classrooms of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., led him to a decision to leave the comforts of the United States to head to the streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Seth McElroy, an emergency medical technician and substitute teacher, has been chosen for a nine-month tour of service with Mercy Ships as the peri-operative ophthalmic team coordinator in which he will prepare patients for eye surgery and coordinate other eye surgery team functions.

McElroy, a 2006 graduate of Laurel Highlands High School, will be flying to Freetown and board the ship. The departure date has not yet been set.

Originally an international studies major, McElroy became interested in public health switched majors in his sophomore year.

The first class McElroy took in his new major was “Introduction to Global Public Health,” and it was there he first learned about Mercy Ships.

“Since my sophomore year, this has been a dream of mine,” said McElroy. “I learned in school that there are so many things we take for granted such as clean drinking water, education, social-economic security and many other things. I had an idea that I could make a difference, and I wanted to realize that dream.”

Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, the Mercy Ships program provides multiple medical treatments from pediatrics to a full intensive care unit.

McElroy received news about his acceptance to the program Dec. 28, and was surprised how quickly he had been chosen.

“I actually missed their call,” said McElroy. “I checked the area code and realized where it was from, and listened to the voicemail. I was so surprised how quickly they got back to me. It was a dream come true.”

With a limited capacity, Mercy Ships selects only those needed for the ship’s duties and day-to-day operations for which McElroy’s EMT service earned him a spot.

“They take volunteers from a lot of different sectors to complete their day-to-day missions,” said McElroy. “However, they have only so much space onboard the ship. My experiences were a good match for one of the positions available.”

Prior to conducting research on Sierra Leone upon acceptance, McElroy said his first introduction to the region was through the movie, “Blood Diamond”.

Though Sierra Leone is less than a decade removed from a nine-year civil war that killed tens of thousands, McElroy is not concerned about safety in the developing country.

“I’m aware of the country’s history, but I think I’m pretty safe,” said McElroy. “The program takes really great care and strives to provide excellent security for all its volunteers.”

Still, McElroy admits that no matter how much he prepares himself, the experience of working in a developing country like Sierra Leone will be unlike anything he has ever done before.

“I’m studying some and trying to learn a lot about the area,” said McElroy. “But it is just one of those things where you can’t completely prepare for what you’ll see.”

Because the job is on a volunteer basis, and because Mercy Ships requests a monthly crew fee to help pay for the costs of the supplies and logistics, McElroy wrote to more than 200 people for financial support.

“A lot of individuals were so happy to help out,” said McElroy. “My church, the Church of the Brethren, also helped me. So many people realized what an important chance this was to make a difference.”

McElroy’s mother, Pam Rossini, was elated that her son had been accepted.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for him,” said Rossini. “He has wanted this for such a long time. To be honest, I’m a little nervous for him leaving, but he has always had a wonder blood in him. This is chance to be a tool of God and make a difference.”

Upon completion of his service in November, McElroy could have the opportunity to extend his service, but said he wants to see first where this experience takes him.

“I want to see where this experience takes me,” said McElroy. “I have a dream to work in the health ministry, the global health ministry specifically. This is a chance for me to gain some experience, and make a difference.”

More information about Mercy Ships is available online at www.mercyships.org.