Mary Atieno is a 46-year-old lady living in Migori County. She is married but has no living children. She delivered a still born child in 1993 and has never conceived since then.
Mary developed fistula after delivering her child in 1993. She had laboured for a long while and was eager to meet her bundle of joy in whatever way possible therefore when she was referred for a caesarean section, she did not mind it. Unfortunately, Mary had a still born. She was heartbroken. To add on, while getting ready to be discharged, her catheter was removed only to discovered that she was unable to control her urine flow. Not only had she lost her child but she had also been left with a disease she was not sure was curable.
Through the years, Mary has sought help from three different hospitals but whenever the catheter was removed, she would find that she had not recovered and would be back to her struggles. This saddened her but did not discourage her. She was still hopeful and continued to seek opportunities to get medical treatment.
Having fistula has not been a walk in the park for Mary. She was forced to use diapers to avoiding making a mess. Mary could not sustain her friendships. Her friends abandoned her once they discovered that she had fistula. She was forced into a life of solitude. Mary tried to maintain a normal social life and attended gatherings such as church when she could, but she did not disclose her situation to anyone. She also could not maintain a job. She had been a casual labourer offering domestic services and not all employers could accept for her to offer them her services given that she often had a stench following her.
While out on a casual job, Mary heard about the fistula camp hosted by the Flying Doctors Society of Africa from her colleague. She was informed about a text message with information about the camp. That evening, Mary hang around her neighbour’s house with the hopes of getting the information from the news. She was lucky enough to catch the discussion on fistula which highlighted the medical camp. Mary was resolute that she would not miss out and would present herself to try and get help.
Mary went to Migori County Hospital where the service was being offered. She was treated and is hopeful that she is now fully recovered. Mary is thankful to the M-PESA Foundation, Ramogi and The Flying Doctors Society of Africa and all other partners who have made the clinic possible. She looks forward to living an improved quality of life after the surgery.
