A Patient Story

This was the best thing I did last week. I spent about an hour in our fistula room, talking with the patients there. We have six beds for women who have been diagnosed with having a fistula (a hole between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina). This condition can occur after severe childbirth when adequate medical care is not available. The women who have a fistula can experience a lot of social isolation and it will significantly reduce the quality of their life. It was in our fistula room that I met Gulsum. She is 25 years old and lives in a rural village about eight hours outside of Kabul.

After having her second child, she noticed that she was leaking urine. Over the next four months her husband took her to see several village doctors. One of the doctors recommended a hysterectomy and her husband approved (typically a husband or a woman’s father will give consent for surgery). Gulsum had the surgery but the problem didn’t go away. She thought she was "finished for life."

Gulsum was taken to see one more doctor. This village doctor had recently returned from spending one month training at my hospital. He saw Gulsum and explained to her about a surgery that we offer that will fix her problem. She was so excited but told him she didn’t know how she would be able to afford the surgery. Then the doctor explained that our program would cover the cost of the surgery and the cost of her transportation back and forth to the hospital.

She is recovering, the surgery seems to be a success and she should be going home soon. While her and I spoke, she was beaming. Her excitement was contagious as she explained that she was now “dry” and how "this hospital gave me life again." It's stories like this that remind me why I am here.

T.I.A.

In the book Stones into Schools, Greg Mortenson describes Afghanistan as “a place where life is often messy, confusing, and unfair – and where events almost never conform to the script that has been laid.” In the four months that I have been in country, I can testify to the truth of this description. My team has coined the phrase “this is Afghanistan (TIA)” as a means to assist us in coping with the messy and confusing aspects of life here.

My most recent example has been the visa process. I arrived in September with one visa, which as it turned out was no longer the correct visa to have in order to get a work permit. The unofficial explanation for the change “TIA.” As a result several of us had to leave the country to get the correct visa. None of us minded because who doesn't mind a surprise weekend in a warmer climate. We had to leave because you cannot renew your visa in country without a work permit. The visa I was given expired in a month, which because of TIA a month isn't enough time to be issued a work permit and a new visa. So off to the consulate to get another visa. No worries, this is my 3rd visa.

But for some reason, this time did not go according to script. The only reason I have for the complicated process; TIA. After visiting two embassy’s and pleading my case to anyone who would listen, I was granted a visa; which as they say here Enshallah (God willing) this is the right one and can be renewed in country.

Sometimes a picture is worth thousand words. Thankfully it all worked out and I am back at work.

New Year’s Eve in the Desert

Happy New Year!

Spent the past week in Dubai and it was great fun. Went to the beach, swam in the Arabian Gulf, shopped my heart out, and visited the aquarium. For New Years Eve, we went on a desert safari. It wasn’t everything I expected but it was fun.

The ride out to the campsite would have consisted of more dune bashing if the women in the front seat wasn’t carsick. We were told the food at the campsite was going to be a BBQ, but it was Indian, as was the music. The dance floor could have been one you would find any where in the States except it was filled with people of all ages. The air was cool and the sky was clear, it really was a nice night to be outside. We opted out on the camel ride but enjoyed getting to know the other people at our table. It sure was a memorable way to ring in 2010.

The first photo is of the beach we went to. You are not allowed to take pictures on the beach but can in the park that is attached to the beach. The second picture is of the park attached to the beach and in the distance you can see the Burj Dubai (now called the Burj Khamira; aka worlds tallest building).