Sandra sounds nervous but excited on the other end of the phone as she speaks to me. She is a 34-year-old mother of three. Unfortunately, she has only two living children. Sandra suffered a miscarriage during the sixth month of her last pregnancy.

Sandra suffered fistula in 2015. She was unable to seek any medical attention when she lost her baby. It can be assumed that because of the advanced stage of the pregnancy and lack of medical assistance. Sandra suffered extensive tears which resulted in incontinence of stool.

Prior to getting sick, Sandra was a casual labourer. The condition forced her to stop working. “I was unable to control myself. No one was going to employ me. I therefore remained unemployed until I could get help,” she narrates. Being a single mother, she struggled to get by and provide for her two children. She retained only a few friends as not many people wanted to be around her because of the stench she emanated from time to time.

Luckily for her, in 2019 she was able to get free corrective surgery from the Flying Doctors Society at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Sandra was able to resume her normal life. It was, however, short-lived because six months later she was unable to pass urine. A blockage had formed. This caused her a lot of discomfort and pain. It affected how she navigated her day-to-day life.

In January 2021, Sandra proceeded to seek help at a medical facility in Nairobi where she underwent further corrective surgery. Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived as the blockage of urine recurred.  In May 2021 she went back to KNH hoping to get relieved of her pain and discomfort. Once more through the Flying Doctors Society she underwent corrective surgery.

She is hopeful that she will make a full recovery. She is also grateful to the Safaricom Foundation and Flying Doctors Society for offering free medical services.  “I look forward to resuming work and being able to provide for my children and myself” she remarks.