{"id":3987,"date":"2024-04-26T05:43:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T12:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mercyships.onpressidium.com\/?post_type=patient&#038;p=3987"},"modified":"2024-09-18T16:32:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T23:32:52","slug":"apres-20-ans-de-fistule-obstetricale","status":"publish","type":"patient","link":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/patient\/after-20-years-of-obstetric-fistula\/","title":{"rendered":"La dignit\u00e9 retrouv\u00e9e apr\u00e8s 20 ans de fistule obst\u00e9tricale"},"content":{"rendered":"<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/plugins\/bb-plugin\/img\/pixel.png\" alt=\"\" itemprop=\"image\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n\r\n<h3>\r\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/chirurgie-maxillofaciale\/\" title=\"\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t<\/h3>\r\n\t<p>Astou avait 20 ans lorsque sa vie prit un tournant inattendu. \u00c0 l\u2019\u00e9poque, elle \u00e9tait mari\u00e9e et attendait son premier enfant. Sa famille proche et aimante la soutenait et vivait dans son village au S\u00e9n\u00e9gal. Son avenir \u00e9tait joyeux et prometteur.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mais lorsqu\u2019Astou s\u2019\u00e9tait r\u00e9veill\u00e9e apr\u00e8s une c\u00e9sarienne d\u2019urgence, elle avait rapidement compris que quelque chose n\u2019allait pas. Le travail \u00e9prouvant pendant son accouchement avait provoqu\u00e9 des l\u00e9sions internes et une fistule obst\u00e9tricale.<\/p>\r\n<p>Selon l\u2019Organisation Mondiale de la Sant\u00e9, on estime \u00e0 2 millions le nombre de jeunes femmes vivant avec une fistule obst\u00e9tricale en Afrique subsaharienne et en Asie. Si les fistules peuvent \u00eatre largement \u00e9vit\u00e9es avec un acc\u00e8s rapide aux soins obst\u00e9triques, leur gu\u00e9rison n\u00e9cessite g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement une intervention chirurgicale.<\/p>\r\n<p>Because she couldn&#8217;t afford surgical care, Astou lived with the fistula &#8211; which left her leaking urine &#8211; for the next 20 years. Sadly, Astou also lost her baby during the difficult childbirth.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;I stayed in bed for a month, and I couldn&#8217;t get up or do anything else,&#8221; she recalls the immense grief.<\/p>\r\n\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-zq-MqsdCsY?si=sq7pIsPi-dMkTNz8\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Mv6g2oc_2J8?si=EMy5w645pt8jQTgk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\tLes d\u00e9fis physiques et sociaux de la fistule obst\u00e9tricale\r\n\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>Astou&#8217;s first husband left her soon afterwards, when he realized the leaking wasn&#8217;t going to stop. She wasn&#8217;t able to keep working as a house helper, so she had to move back home with her parents.<\/p>\r\n<p>In many cases, women like Astou with fistula are often shunned and abandoned by their communities because they&#8217;re often perceived as unclean. But despite the rejection from her husband, Astou&#8217;s family stood by her side. Though they couldn&#8217;t afford to get Astou medical help, they provided emotional support.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;My family had pity on me, no one rejected me or said anything I didn&#8217;t like,&#8221; remembers Astou.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/patient-astou-gallery-9.jpg\" alt=\"patient-astou-gallery-9\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"780\" width=\"1135\" title=\"patient-astou-gallery-9\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n\t<p>But even with a supportive family, the condition limited Astou&#8217;s social life. She isolated herself out of fear that she would leak and smell. Missing her sister&#8217;s wedding and hiding away from guests was particularly painful for Astou.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;On the day of the wedding, I locked myself in the room. I told my family, &#8216;don&#8217;t tell them where I am, just tell them I&#8217;m not here.'&#8221;<\/p>\r\n\t<p>Pour les femmes souffrant d\u2019incontinence, manquer des \u00e9v\u00e9nements sociaux et des r\u00e9unions de famille est monnaie courante. Elles se sentent particuli\u00e8rement seules en Afrique, car les liens sociaux sont essentiels dans la plupart des villages. Cette d\u00e9connexion acc\u00e9l\u00e8re l\u2019isolement.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\tL'\u00e9veil de l'amour et de l'espoir\r\n\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>During a family event, she met Mamadou &#8211; and hope bloomed again. When he expressed interest in marrying her, she immediately told him about her condition, expecting him to take it back.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/patient-astou-gallery-4-1024x704-1.jpg\" alt=\"patient-astou-gallery-4-1024x704\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"704\" width=\"1024\" title=\"patient-astou-gallery-4-1024x704\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;It won&#8217;t stop me from marrying you and doing everything I can to get you medical care,&#8221; he replied.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>After their wedding, Mamadou &#8211; a farmer and businessman &#8211; kept his promise and started saving up to take her to the hospital. A local doctor confirmed her condition was treatable &#8211; but it would require surgery.<\/p>\r\n<p>Une fois de plus, le manque de moyens financiers a \u00e9t\u00e9 un obstacle \u00e0 leur gu\u00e9rison. Les jeunes mari\u00e9s ont donc attendu, ils ont esp\u00e9r\u00e9. Pendant cette p\u00e9riode, ils ont \u00e9galement accueilli un petit miracle : leur fille. Ils ont alors entendu parler \u00e0 la radio de Mercy Ships dont le navire-h\u00f4pital venait au S\u00e9n\u00e9gal pour offrir des interventions chirurgicales gratuites.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mamadou and Astou went for an appointment, at first only seeking treatment for Astou&#8217;s goiter, a swollen thyroid lump that had been growing for 10 years. But knowing that the obstetric fistula was treatable, Mamadou took a leap and asked whether they could give her surgery for that as well. He had seen his wife carry the burden of an unseen condition by herself for years.<\/p>\r\n<p>La nouvelle a d\u00e9pass\u00e9 toutes leurs esp\u00e9rances : Astou serait op\u00e9r\u00e9e des deux affections, la visible et l\u2019invisible !<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/patient-astou-gallery-5-1024x704-1.jpg\" alt=\"patient-astou-gallery-5-1024x704\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"704\" width=\"1024\" title=\"patient-astou-gallery-5-1024x704\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\tUne gu\u00e9rison profonde sur l'Africa Mercy\u00ae\r\n\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>At the age of 40, Astou received her fistula surgery along with 13 other women, many of whom had also spent years looking for help. She spent a few weeks recovering in the hospital wards, surrounded by others who could relate to her journey. &#8220;When I was on the ship, I met women who had the same illnesses as me and they did not believe that they would ever be healthy,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Volunteer nurse Rachel Cooper from the United States was one of the nurses caring for Astou. She couldn&#8217;t help but notice how Astou came alive after surgery.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/patient-astou-gallery-7-1024x704-1.jpg\" alt=\"patient-astou-gallery-7-1024x704\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"704\" width=\"1024\" title=\"patient-astou-gallery-7-1024x704\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;At first, she was reserved and that was common for most of our patients&#8230; that they would come, and their eyes would typically be on the ground, or their shoulders would be a little bit slumped. And you could see that there was so much shame wrapped up in being a woman who leaked urine from an obstetric fistula. But as her care progressed, I saw her perk up.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n\t<p>La jeune femme a \u00e9galement constat\u00e9 son propre changement, notamment lors de la c\u00e9r\u00e9monie des femmes. C\u2019est une c\u00e9l\u00e9bration au cours de laquelle les femmes gu\u00e9ries re\u00e7oivent de nouveaux v\u00eatements magnifiques pour f\u00eater leur dignit\u00e9 de femme retrouv\u00e9e.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>After the surgery, when I looked at myself, I felt that I was not like before,&#8221; marveled Astou.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/patient-astou-gallery-1-1024x704-1.jpg\" alt=\"patient-astou-gallery-1-1024x704\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"704\" width=\"1024\" title=\"patient-astou-gallery-1-1024x704\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\r\n\t<p>Quelques mois plus tard, elle est revenue sur le navire pour se faire op\u00e9rer de son goitre. Apr\u00e8s l\u2019intervention, elle ne pouvait qu\u2018envisager de nouvelles perspectives de vie.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to go back home to my husband and daughter feeling healthy. I am ready to go back to my farm without fear that I&#8217;ll get sick and stop working,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\r\n\t<p>Mamadou believes Astou&#8217;s transformation runs deeper than the physical. &#8220;Since she has been treated, she is free and happy. She can go out and she can also welcome whomever she wants at home with happiness and full of joy.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n\t<p class=\"translation-block\">Pour permettre \u00e0 d\u2019autres patients comme Astou d\u2019avoir acc\u00e8s \u00e0 des chirurgies transformatrices, vous pouvez <a href=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/faire-un-don\/\" target=\"_self\">faire un don ici<\/a>. Vous pouvez aussi <a href=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/histoires-de-patients\/\" target=\"_self\">d\u00e9couvrir d\u2019autres histoires de patients<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"uabb-ss-grid-button-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmercyships.ca%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpatient%26p%3D3987%26fl_builder\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,'social-share','left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0');return false;\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"uabb-ss-grid-button-link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmercyships.ca%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpatient%26p%3D3987%26fl_builder\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,'social-share','left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0');return false;\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/X-SQ300.png\" alt=\"3618\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"uabb-ss-grid-button-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmercyships.ca%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpatient%26p%3D3987%26fl_builder\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,'social-share','left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0');return false;\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedin\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"uabb-ss-grid-button-link\" href=\"mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fmercyships.ca%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpatient%26p%3D3987%26fl_builder\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,'social-share','left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0');return false;\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourriel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/histoires-de-patients\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tD\u00e9couvrir d\u2019autres histoires de patients\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Astou avait 20 ans lorsque sa vie prit un tournant inattendu. \u00c0 l\u2019\u00e9poque, elle \u00e9tait mari\u00e9e et attendait son premier enfant. Sa famille proche et aimante la soutenait et vivait dans son village au S\u00e9n\u00e9gal. Son avenir \u00e9tait joyeux et prometteur.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":3990,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 2 million young women live with obstetric fistula in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"disabled","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3987","patient","type-patient","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/patient\/3987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/patient"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/patient"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/patient\/3987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7383,"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/patient\/3987\/revisions\/7383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercyships.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}