Caren 47-year-old
Caren is a ball of energy and confidence.You can tell from her speech. Life has, however, not been a bed of roses for her. She gave birth to eight children unfortunately, she has only four living children.
Caren has been living with fistula for the past 33 years. She was 14 when she became ill. Her case of fistula can be attributed to the fact that she gave birth at a very young age and did not seek medical assistance at the time. She says when she realized something was wrong, she took it as a birth defect and accepted her new condition and told no one about it. She assumed that she had suffered a tear while giving birth and that it was normal to experience incontinence after delivery. “I took it as being normal for me and therefore did not tell anyone” she states. She tried her best to keep her condition a secret even though she would occasionally stink due to the incontinence. Whenever she began to smell or pass gas she would be abused, and people would avoid being around her.
Caren went on with her work as a casual labourer. One of her employers once told her that having delivered too many children was the cause of her condition. She narrates that she was once fired from a job because she kept passing gas and her employer was not too enthusiastic about letting her continue serving guests.
Caren is currently in her second marriage. Her first marriage broke down when her then husband found it impossible to put up with her condition. Caren recalls that her marriage was a living hell. “I really suffered in the hands of my first husband” she says indignantly. Her husband was neither understanding nor supportive at all. He ridiculed and hurled insults at her due to her condition. She was emotionally and psychologically traumatized.
Having wrongly accepted her condition as a birth defect she sought no medical assistance. In May 2021, Caren got extremely bloated. The bloating caused her intense stomach pain for which she sought medical assistance at the gynaecological clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital. During one of her clinical visits, the doctor examined her and referred her to Clinic 66. She dutifully visited the clinic. This is when Caren learnt for the first time what she had been suffering from was fistula.
The word fistula was not foreign to her. She had heard it on the radio but had never associated it with her condition. The nurse attending to her told her that her level of fistula was quite advanced, but it could be treated, nevertheless. To say that she was excited is an understatement. That day, Caren and her husband slept at the bus stage at KNH. They could not afford the bus fare back home and neither did they want to miss out on the opportunity for treatment. On 27th May, Caren received the corrective surgery and says that she noticed the change immediately.
She is grateful to the Flying Doctors Society and their partners for offering free medical services to women with conditions like hers. “I pray that God expands their territories to allow them to assist other women like me” she joyfully tells. Caren recommends that there should be more awareness within the community so that more women can speak up and not suffer in silence. She further encourages other women to seek medical assistance when they notice any changes in their bodies.
