the husband of one Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) survivor and some beneficiaries of the free PVV surgery in Kaduna The state says they now have a new lease on life after exercising.
Speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna on Tuesday, beneficiaries said the support had given them a chance to live a normal life again.
YAYA reports that VVF, commonly known as an obstetric fistula, is “a hole between the vagina and the rectum or bladder.
”
This is caused by prolonged obstructed labor, which leaves the woman with uncontrolled urine, stool, or both.
The husband of the survivor and resident of Tudun Nupawa, Malam Abubakar Musa, thanked the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Kaduna State Government for making his wife whole again.
“I thought my marriage would collapse when my wife developed the condition because she couldn’t stand the constant, uncontrolled urination.
“I almost gave up on her before someone told me there was a chance she could be cured at the VVF Center located at Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Zaria.
“Today, I am a living witness that the condition will not only be cured, but a survivor will return to living a normal life,” he said.
Musa told NAN that his wife was able to deliver a baby in August via C-section, adding that the mother and baby were doing well.
“All I can say is thank you UNFPA and thank you to the Kaduna state government for giving my wife a chance to be normal again,” he said.
Musa’s wife, Fiddausi, 20, said she lost her first child due to a prolonged labor that created the problem, adding that she lost all hope of ever having a child again due to the VVF condition.
“But today I am a proud mother.
God has smiled on me through UNFPA and the Kaduna state government,” he said.
Another survivor, Asma’u Zubairu, 22, from Saminaka, Lere Local Government Area in the state, told NAN in Zaria that a family friend referred her to the center and said she would be treated.
Zubairu, who recently had the repair surgery, said he worried his life would never be the same after having the condition.
“The condition is not what I would wish for even my enemy.
“But thanks to the free surgery supported by UNFPA, I am recovering and will soon be united with my family and moving on with my life,” she said.
Sharing a similar experience, Hussaina Mammu de Lere said she underwent repair surgery within two weeks of being admitted to the center.
Mammu, who said that he was improving day by day, expressed hope for a better future.
“We are well cared for in the center, in fact, some of our relatives do not treat us as well as they treat us and want us in this place.
“I have already had my repair surgery and have been empowered with tissue training.
“I’m hoping to get better so I can go back home to my family and live a productive life,” he said.
However, the story was different for Ms. Baraka Muale24, from the Kuabai Local Government Area, who said her husband had kicked her out and married another woman since she developed the condition.
Muale, who thanked her family for taking her in after the divorce and supporting her, expressed optimism that life would get better since she underwent the successful surgery.
He also said that he had received a grant of N50,000 from the state government as a survivor of VVF.
This, Muale said, he invested in agriculture and hoped for a bountiful harvest.
“The investment of N50,000 in agriculture is my lifeline, otherwise I would not know what to do or where to go once I am discharged from the center.
“I really appreciate the UNFPA-supported free surgery, empowerment and financial support to allow us to rebuild our lives again,” he said.
News sourceCredit: NAN
