Francisca Chepng’eno is a 39-year-old mother of two living in Bomet. She has a heavy accent that slightly strains our communication, but we push through. Francisca sounds a bit tired; she is still recovery from her surgery.
Francisca first suffered fistula in 2002 during the delivery of her second child. She suffered prolonged labour and had to go through a caesarean section. After the surgery, she realized that she was unable to control her urine flow. She had suffered ureterovaginal fistula. She informed her doctor who advised her to seek treatment after three months. He further advised that she should look for funds to facilitate the treatment as it is expensive. This broke Francisca’s heart. She accepted her fate and tried to live a normal life.
Because of lack of funds, Francisca has been at her home and working on her farm which is her primary source of livelihood. Because she is a single mother and the sole-bread winner of her family, she did not have the luxury of seeking treatment for herself. She had been unable to mingle with others due to her condition. To try to manage the situation, Francisca had to wrap herself with worn out clothes to avoid any leakage. Further, whenever she happened to be away from her house, she would moderate her liquid intake to reduce the chances of her messing up and embarrassing herself.
Francisca received a text message about the medical camp in Kajiado and made the five-and-a-half-hour-long journey from Bomet to Kajiado to receive treatment. 27th April 2022 will forever be a memorable day for Francisca as it is the day, she successfully received the corrective surgery. She is excited with the results and cannot wait to go back home and resume normalcy. She is eager to socialize with family and friends, fully enjoy life and to finally dress well.
Fransica is grateful to the M-pesa Foundation, Flying Doctors Society of Africa and urges women suffering from fistula to come out and seek medical help.
