I got married when I was 15. I met my husband for the first time on my wedding day. My parents chose him for me. I felt sad that I had to quit my education, but otherwise I liked my husband. He was a good man. ~Abeba Zerehun
He was a good husband until his young wife developed a fistula after childbirth. He then left her and remarried.
I have read about fistulas over the years but didn't realize to what extent American women don't know what a fistula is until I went to the Salon last week. As I sat there waiting for the color to permeate my roots we talked about women's health issues. Only one woman in the salon knew what a fistula was. Personally I find that unacceptable. If there is one thing that I can do with this blog it will be to educate other women about what is going on around them. I certainly don't profess to be an expert in this area but am horrified that women with fistulas are treated less than human by their husbands and families.
As we sat in our chairs at the Salon, doing something very frivolous for ourselves, the least we could do was be aware of how many women in third world countries suffer because of childbirth complications. Complications that are rarely seen in industrial nations.
The quote I used at the beginning of this post is from The Fistula Foundation. I first read about Dr. Hamlin from Nicholas Kristoff who writes for the New York Times. His article can be found here. Dr. Hamlin works tirelessly to operate on as many young women as she can who develop fistula's after childbirth.
What is a fistula? The Foundation's website has some incredible info on it but I will quote some basic information for you from one of their pages:
"An obstetric fistula develops when blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder (and/or rectum) is cut off during prolonged obstructed labor. The tissues die and a hole forms through which urine and/or feces pass uncontrollably. Women who develop fistulas are often abandoned by their husbands, rejected by their communities, and forced to live an isolated existence."
Most of these women are young and uneducated. After they develop fistula's they start to smell. Their urine and feces run down their legs. They are shunned by their husbands and families. Because of the constant smell and leakage they cannot work. The repairs are relatively simple but medical attention is scarce for most of them.
What can you do? Talk about fistula's and health care for women. If you have some extra cash make a donation to the Fistula Foundation Hospital. It doesn't take much to help these women.
Comments