by Sr. Jo Anne Kelly MMM                                                  Ireland                                    23.10.2024

Recently I watched a webinar on the campaign to raise awareness about Obstetric Vistula and the awful effect it has on so many women in the world, causing them loss of dignity and forcing them to live in isolation – as outcasts.

That webinar reminded me about many women I knew but especially about Eliza.

For some years I lived with Sr. Dr. Ann Ward who pioneered special techniques for surgical repair of obstetric fistula.  Women came from far and near for the surgery. These women were very slow to make themselves known or to come out publicly.

One of our MMM Sisters, Winnie, in a distant mission, set up a plan for her area. She engaged people around the area to seek out the women and encourage them to come to her for help.  The women started coming bit by bit as news went around.

Every three weeks Winnie, with a faithful driver, Augustine, made the trip in a minibus to the Family Life Centre where Sr. Ann worked, bringing with them the women who had agreed to come in. Winnie would stay overnight and next day take home the women of the previous trip who now had the surgery and were going home free.

Eliza was one of these women. Sr. Ann always said that every case was different. Eliza was different because she had an added complication and was not ready to go home with her group. She needed another week.

My own work took me to many parts of the country and it happened I was going in Eliza’s direction just over a week later. I offered to bring her home. I went to visit her a few times during the week, just so I wasn’t a complete stranger to her. Although she joined in the activities and social gatherings of the centre she was apprehensive. She was missing her group especially as she did not understand the local language. She had been to primary school and had quite good English. Having lived in more or less isolation for years, every new thing was a big adjustment, including going home and in a car.

hen, she would forget all of that and remember the one big, big thing that had happened – she was healed. She was quite ecstatic about that. She would throw up her arms, praise and thank God, praise and thank Dr. Ward and everybody else in the compound. One could not but rejoice with her then.

We set off early in the morning. She was quiet. I glanced round a few times. She was staring out, watching everything. I explained to her we were going home the way she had come. She said “I saw nothing when I was coming” Now she started seeing everything, houses, trees, children going to school, goats straying on the road, women with market stalls, fruit, bunches of bananas and plantain, naming everything she saw. Every now and again her hands would go up thanking God for it all. It was as if the world had opened up for her.

On the motorway there was little to see except road. I had a cassette player. Though my choice of music could not have been hers she sang along with everything, even the Irish tenors.

Nearing her area, I asked about her home and she told me we had passed the road to her home. I was stopping to turn back. She said No! No! I must first go and thank Sr. Winnie. I will find my way back.   We saw Winnie, and she was well thanked.

I brought her home. Her village was miles off the main road. She was quiet then as she gave me directions and I knew this was a very big test for her. We stopped outside a little mud house. She made some kind of call. After some time a little old lady came out on her stick and whatever words Eliza said to her, her face changed, her old eyes lit up and the two women embraced and talked and hugged again and again.

As I was saying goodbye, the little old lady took my hand and started praying in her language.
Eliza said “My mother has given you her blessing.”