Skip to main content

Unheard of No Longer: Bringing Awareness to Fistulas



                          


           The topics to choose from where all of equal interest to me, each of great importance.  Of the list however I chose to research in more depth about fistulas, a medical condition in which people of the Western world have most likely never heard of.  A fistula is an abnormal development between two organs or parts of the body.  Examples of a fistula could be between the two blood vessels or in the case I am to focus on the development of a fistula between the bowel and vagina known as an obstetric fistula form due to complications of surgery, injury, infection or diseases (Fistulas: MedlinePlus, 2015). For many women in poverty stricken areas the horrors do not stop at being brutally raped and sodomized but continues when they develop a fistula.  Women are then forced to be an outcast due to becoming incontinent and leaking feces releasing a strong odor which leave them helpless and ashamed.  Those most affected are childbearing women who lack proper medical care while giving birth especially those whose labor is obstructed (Kristof, N & WuDunn, S, 2009, p. 93).

          According to Kristof & WuDunn (2009),  at one point there was a fistula hospital in Manhattan, New York but with medical care now improved this is no longer needed, (p .96)  Now a days when a labor is prolonged people rely on a C-section to deliver.  In developing countries with medical care scarce this is still an issue, but it is clear that proper medical care can practically eliminate the issue of fistulas.   Catherine Hamlin a gynecologist in Ethiopia stated, “They’re alone in the world ashamed of their injuries.  For lepers or AIDS victims, there are organizations that help. But nobody knows about these women or helps them (Kristof, N. & WuDunn, S,  2009, p. 96).”  Not all fistulas can be fully fixed due to not having enough tissue to work with.  In this case women may have to have a colostomies which is a bag which is on the outside of the body through the abdomen were feces are emptied into.  However for many this too can become an issue because of the need for ongoing care.  It is reported that over 2 million women and girls in Africa alone are suffering due to obstetric fistulas (Making Life Worth Living, 2015).    

One of the main issues is the lack of acknowledgement of the importance of maternal health care.  The women in poor communities face a risk of maternal death at one thousand times higher than that women within Western communities.  In addition many women who experience fistulas and shunning develop depression and contemplate suicide.  Simeesh a young women in the novel Half the Sky was kicked off a public bus due the odor of the leaking feces. Her family sold all their belongings and was forced to pay for a private car in order to get transportation to an hospital (Kristof, N. & WuDunn, S. 2009, p. 101).  Yet another even greater issue is a lack of trained surgeons who are able to provide care for these women.  Training health workers in local communities is essential to long term care for areas in which fistulas are common.  Not only does it help with the great need for surgeons but it necessary in long term planning efforts to bring assistance to these areas (Help give a Women a New Life, 2015).

There are many different avenues in which help is needed from educational services to transportation to even providing the training to surgeons.  I’m a strong believer in communities finding their own innovative ways to help themselves. This isn’t to say that can not get assistance, but it is important that organizations do not aim to take over their community but work alongside them providing them adequate training to boost their own overall health care.  This being said the Fistula  Foundation partners with direct links to providers at facilities that hope to end fistulas.  It is through these partners that the Fistula foundation began to work with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) in beginning the first ever Surgery Training Fellowship which lasts 6-8 weeks in providing training for individuals who seek to return home to their communities in greatest need to provide medical treatment (Help give a Women a New Life, 2015)   With proper medical treatment fistulas can be prevented, but this issue is far greater than the community in itself.  It may not be a problem of the Western world anymore but through history people learned how to treat and prevent this medical condition.  It would be selfish to wipe our hands clean now and ignore an issue that so many women are suffering with.  Yet finding ways to help these women is a lengthy battle, a battle that many have yet to hear of.   

fistulafoundation.org
                  
                                                   
                                                                      References

Fistulas: MedlinePlus. (2015, May 12). Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fistulas.html

Help give a Women a New Life. (2015). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://www.fistulafoundation.org/

Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 
Making Life Worth Living. (2015). Retrieved July 23, 2015, from http://www.freedomfromfistula.org/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of a Smile

Stop correcting "i"The smell of burnt coffee beans fills the air. I can hear buzzes of cellphones, murmurs of friends talking in line- and the occasional whoosh of the expresso machine. As I look out the small coffee shop window I see a diverse city, a puzzle of God's wonderful creation. This week I have had the opportunity to connect with many people, all in different part of their life.  Conversations have ranged from embarrassing subway stories, to struggles within the health care system, to future hopes and dreams.  I answered the question, 'Where is Maine?" so many times this week I can not keep count.  We are currently partnering with the Salvation Army in Harlem, New York. During the day we help at a food kitchen- mainly creating relationships with the community; loving them and praying for them.  In the afternoons I help in a classroom of 1st graders, their teacher being another young college student. She is currently in school to be a lawyer...
Post a Comment
Read more
This last week was spent in Indiana training with Experience Mission. First off Fort Wayne Indiana is beautiful and I could totally see myself returning at some point. The training was not only essential before leaving but has already given me the opportunity to be challenged in new ways. Whether it was learning about cross cultural differences or acknowledging topics such as hope and dignity it was needed. This was also the first time I met my team, and already it is clear God is at work. We're all coming from very different places, but with a common compassion of wanting to be there to help others and individually grow. It is so easy in a materialistic world were resources can be abundant and we are taught to pick up our phones to complain before even trying to independently problem solve. God far too often takes the back burner. Being able to leave with little communication and limited resources will give us the room to grow in areas in our lives we may have previously been un...
Post a Comment
Read more

Learning to CLING

At first I gave my life to God during a time of deep grief.  I needed a reason to believe there was something bigger and stronger than the pain I was feeling. As time went on I continued in my "faith."  When times were good I praised Him. In times of pain I questioned him, yet I never truly felt the same as the night I first surrendered to Him. It seemed through the ups and downs I began to slowly drift away. It wasn't util I stepped out of my comfort zone and saw how others all around the world were worshipping the same God that I began to question my faith.  My seemingly solid faith. It seemed their priorities were every different than mine. When I struggled to go to church once a week, they managed to go every night. When we were called to open our bibles, I flipped to the table of contents while others were already finished reciting the verse.  Their commitment was far greater than mine.  Their willingness to surrender came with willing hearts. How ...
Post a Comment
Read more