Ch-ch-check it out!

So my sister-in-law Katie told me a while back about a blog that she thought I might like. It's written by an nurse on the M/V Africa Mercy. One night when I probably should have been doing homework, I spent like 2 hours backreading her blog (seriously) and I came across this post. I wasn't really familiar with VVF, so I did some research online.

Real fast: VVF (Vesicovaginal Fistual) is what it's called when a fistula (abnormal connection) forms between the bladder and vagina after a long, hard labor. This leads to a constant leaking of urine through the vagina. In the US, this rarely occurs, as most doctors would (because they have the capability to) step in, and prevent such a difficult labor. If it were to occur, it's a fairly easy fix with all the medical technology we have at our fingertips in hospitals. In third world countries, VVF is much more common as the women giving birth tend to be younger, and are thus smaller, making their bodies less capable of pushing the baby out. This leads to long, difficult labors, where the baby often dies, and the mother ends up with a VVF. In the rural areas they live in, a fix is almost an impossibility. Because they cannot "keep dry," they often become social outcasts.

It's heartbreaking to learn about a problem that is quite prevalent in third world countries, which has such drastic physical, and thus social and emotional implications, especially when it's something that would be mostly preventable were they only blessed with the capabilities and resources we have here.

So anyways, I was reading about it, and came across this website, A Walk to Beautiful. It's a documentary film which follows several women with VVF who are given the opportunity to go to a VVF clinic in Ethiopia. I rented and watched the documentary over winter break, and it was fabulous.

So: If you're interested in learning more about VVF, or you like a good documentary, or you're interested in watching a story of hope and healing for these women - you should check it out! Warning, I cried watching it... :)

Also, if you just like reading medical blogs, or are interested in Mercy ships and outreach in Africa, Ali's blog above is a good read too!