Dr. Catherine Hamlin's Fistula Hospital

Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia

We were fortunate to be able to tour Dr. Catherine Hamlin's fistula hospital in Addis Ababa that was the one written about in the book, "The Hospital by the River." 

 The woman leading our tour pointed out the river and it was a good thing because it would have been easily missed. It was far away and down a hill, but there it was.  The hospital was in the prettiest green gardens that we encountered during our entire trip.  It was colorful and lovely.  Women recovering from their surgeries strolled the paths and the gardens.  The healing women wrapped themselves in beautiful blankets of colorful wool squares knit together in random patterns.  No two blankets were alike, just like the women who draped them across their shoulders.  These blankets were donated by women in the UK, and  New Zealand....countries with access to lots of wool.  Both the women and the blankets were beautiful.  I have noticed their is even a pintrest site dedicated to projects for this hospital.

We walked through the recovery ward with many many beds all full of women resting but most with eyes wide open as they gazed over at the "farenji's" standing in the doorway.

We strolled the grounds and listened to our guide share information about the hospital and its history.  We could see the surgical lights on through the  second floor windows as surgeries were being performed.  One ward had women along with their babies..  As we walked through the ward the women smiled.  One was nursing her baby and fumbled with her position and blankets as we came into the room.  I thought perhaps she was going to turn away from us for privacy but no.....she turned towards us and proudly showed us her baby.  She smiled and nodded.  The Ethiopians do an interesting thing when they acknowledge you.  They raise their eyebrows up together quickly and inhale....almost like a surprise....but it seems more like it it an understanding between the two of you and an acknowledgment of the connection.   One of the older wards had a sign on it, "The Oprah Winfrey Wing,"  hmmmm, I was not alone in thinking, "really, Oprah, this is the best you could do?"  I just expected a little more out of Oprah as there was nothing that distinguished it from any of the other wings as far as we could tell, but maybe she gave lots of money that helped fund important things.  

We were able to see the rehabilitation room which had four women in it working on various forms of rehab equipment.  Often women are crippled with a dropped foot from nerves being pinched in labor. Sometimes they have been immobile for such a long time while suffering with obstetric fistula when they finally come to the hospital they are crippled.  Our guide told us of a woman who was carried to the hospital curled up in a fetal position and it took three years of rehab for her to stand up.  Years typically pass before a woman gets help.  They talked of mothers carrying their daughters on their backs for days of walking and taking busses until at last they arrive at  the hospital in hopes of surgery.  The hope of getting their life back.

It was rather a somber awakening to visit a hospital dedicated to one specific crippling obstetric injury that few of us in the states even know exists.