From Loss and Isolation to Healing and Hope
At 19, newly married and expecting her first child, Epiphanie was eagerly anticipating becoming a mother. But when labor began, the future she had imagined changed quickly. She labored at home for two days before being referred to a small health center. By the time she reached care, her baby boy had died.
The grief of losing her son was soon compounded by another frightening change. Epiphanie could no longer control her bladder. When she returned to the health center seeking answers, she learned that complications during her prolonged labor had caused an obstetric fistula.
The injury could be repaired with surgery, but the cost was beyond what Epiphanie and her family could afford. She returned home still leaking urine and grieving the loss of her baby. Her husband remained silent about what she was experiencing, and Epiphanie spent the following months increasingly isolated from family and friends.
Then she met someone who understood.
A chance encounter with another fistula survivor introduced Epiphanie to ARENA Medical Center in Ouagadougou. The woman shared her own experience of successful treatment and helped Epiphanie understand that healing might still be possible for her, too.
Encouraged by what she heard, Epiphanie traveled 171 miles in search of specialized care.
At ARENA, she found more than treatment for the physical injury. She found people who understood what she had endured and a program designed to help women move forward after fistula. Epiphanie received the care she needed and was successfully treated.
For the first time in months, her clothes were dry again.
“My clothes are dry again. My inner person has changed, and I am happy with myself.”
But Epiphanie’s healing did not stop with surgery. Through ARENA’s reintegration program, she learned beadwork, gaining a practical skill she could use to earn an income after returning home. The training gave her something fistula had made difficult to imagine during the months she spent isolated: greater independence and a way to begin building her future again.
Today, Epiphanie is healed and grateful for the care she received. She is also looking beyond her own recovery. Having learned about ARENA because another survivor was willing to share her story, Epiphanie now hopes to become an advocate herself and help other women discover that fistula can be treated.
Her journey began with the anticipation of motherhood and was changed by devastating loss. But it did not end there. A survivor helped her find treatment. Surgery restored her health. Reintegration gave her a skill she could carry home.
And now, Epiphanie hopes to carry the message forward for the next woman still waiting to learn that healing is possible.
Help Another Woman Find Her Way to Healing
Epiphanie learned that treatment was possible because another survivor shared what she knew. That connection led to surgery, reintegration, new skills, and a future she could begin imagining again.
Your support helps locally led partners connect women with specialized treatment and the support they need to rebuild their lives after fistula.
