What would be very meaningful for those of you who want to share our joy, is for you to take the $5-10 you would spend on a cute outfit or two and instead donate it to Hamlin Fistula. Everyone has a cause dear to their heart. For me, it's vesicovaginal fistulas (VVFs). We don't know if the fact that William wen
t into distress during labor caused or contributed to any of his special needs. But we do know for sure that if I hadn't had an emergency c-section, he would not be with us today, and I would probably have a VVF as a result.Without treatment, that means incontinence and consequentially becoming a social outcast with no hope of childbearing again. And yet the treatment is usually simple. This is one of those issues where the medical science is available, it's just a matter of financial provision. So a donation can make a significant difference.
If you want to read a short article about Dr. Catherine Hamlin, check out this Christianity Today blog post. To learn more about Hamlin Fistula, you can visit their website. It is my hope that some day Abby will feel honored that her birth helped bring about the relief of others' suffering.
I don't know what that is...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry; I should have explained more clearly. If the baby is too big to fit out the birth canal, the pressure often blows a hole in the bladder, sometimes in the rectum as well. The mom usually passes out, ends up delivering a dead baby, and then is incontinent. In the developing world where there's no Depends, that means you're dirty and smelly all the time and you become a social outcast. Normally the husband divorces. A pretty miserable condition, all because a c-section was not available. But they have a 90% success rate of reversing the incontinence at Hamlin Fistula Hospital.
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