Living with the pain of fistula, Hadra and Tensa were able to access specialist surgery after they flew with MAF for follow-up treatment.
Hadra is the mother of four healthy children, but she has given birth to nine. There are no hospitals in the area where she lives. It is not uncommon for women to labour at home for 2-4 days, rather than set off for hospital, (a journey of hours or days) and risk delivering on the way.
As they board a MAF flight together, Hadra Yousef and Tensa James are like sisters, although their hometowns in South Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, are far apart. This is the second time they have both flown with MAF to the capital Juba for surgery with the fistula team at Reconciliation Hospital.
Both women saw great improvement after their first surgeries but have returned, hopeful that a second surgery will heal them completely. In severe cases, fistula repair is often a two-stage process, but the team at Reconciliation Hospital will operate as many times as medically necessary.
‘This time the surgery has gone well. I thank God I am feeling well it is not like before,’ Hadra said.
‘This time I am feeling ok. I will wait for two days to know for sure. But I am feeling better, not like before.’
Even with a MAF flight, the journey for surgery takes days – starting with a car journey of 8-12 hours from the hospital to the airstrip. Longer if the car breaks down.
In South Sudan, there is no good alternative to flying due to the security situation on the ground. The ladies are both happy to be flying with MAF.
‘When I travel in the plane it is very nice. It was a strange feeling looking out the window. I felt like I was going to fall down!’ Hadra said.
Tensa has regained some mobility since her first surgery, swapping her aluminium walking frame for sticks. When she came months earlier, she had a long road to recovery ahead of her and was feeling discouraged.
‘I am so much better than before. I am even getting fat!’ she said.
‘Before, I was doubtful. But I can see this time, that there is an improvement and the problem is almost fixed. God willing, I will heal completely. I thank God!’
On her previous trip, Tensa enjoyed the unexpected blessing of being reunited with sisters and brothers that she hadn’t seen for more than eight years.
‘It was great that they came to see me last time. This time I have seen them again!’
STORY / SEAN ATKINS PHOTOS / JENNY DAVIES