The story of Rasoa – a follow-up
by Ted Watts – Senior surgeon at the Good News Hospital
When Rasoa first arrived at our hospital 4 years ago, she was teetering on the edge of life and death. Two days before, desperate to find help during a labour that was not progressing, she and her mother and uncle set out from their village, 70 miles from Mandritsara, travelling by ox cart. Rasoa’s uncle explained that they stopped at every town and village along the road, asking if someone, anyone, was able to help, but no one had the skill or facilities needed to deliver the baby and save Rasoa’s life.
A village far away
All along the way, everyone said the family needed to get to Mandritsara, to the Good News Hospital, where there were maternity facilities and the only surgical services for miles around. So they continued their journey, travelling for two full days and through the night.
It's a long way to Mandritsara
Rasoa’s uncle said that the eight people travelling together on the cart did not cease to pray for her, and he considers it the grace of Jesus that helped Rasoa to come here to the hospital still alive.
When she arrived at the hospital, Rasoa’s baby was already dead. She was close to death herself. She does not recall anything of the first three days that she was here because she was so extremely unwell and was developing sepsis.
Travelling by oxcart
For the surgical team, the first challenge was to deliver the baby, and afterwards Rasoa went to our intensive care ward where she remained for many days. We did not have much hope that she would survive. Death in childbirth is still tragically something that we see in Mandritsara.
The prolonged time of obstructed labour had caused extensive internal damage as tissues were deprived of their blood supply through the pressure of the baby’s head being pushed against them.
The consequence of this damage was soon confirmed: Rasoa had an extensive fistula, meaning that both urine and stool were passing constantly and uncontrollably through the vagina.
Here in Mandritsara, we regularly see women with obstetric fistula, and their stories have common themes of poverty, young pregnancy, long traumatic deliveries, and long journeys to find help, almost always with a dead baby. Sadly, these ladies are often rejected by their spouse and their community as a result of the unpleasant leakage of urine and stool.
You can read the story of Rasoa, and our request for prayer for her some 4 years ago, here:
https://www.mandritsara.org.uk/stories-feed/2022/6/20/a-journey-of-hope-and-faith-the-story-of-rasoa
Rasoa with surgeons Ted and Marco
Since then it has been a long road to recovery for Rasoa, including multiple different operations. One, a colostomy, to divert her stool to a bag to allow things to heal, two further operations to repair the fistulas, reconstruction of the vagina with vascular flaps, and re-implantation of both the tubes between her kidneys and bladder (ureters) into a healthier part of her bladder.
She was for some while slightly lost to our follow-up, but came back to us this last week and had her final operation, the reversal of her colostomy bag. Four years after she first arrived at the hospital, she’s going home today healed of both her fistulas and full of joy.
What is beautiful for us to see is that her husband has remained with her throughout her ordeal. This is exceptionally rare in these kinds of cases in Mandritsara, particularly when the patient is as young as Rasoa is.
Rasoa and her husband
Both she and her husband are Christians, and the fact that he has remained faithful to her throughout this is a beautiful testimony to the work of God in his heart. It’s such a counter-cultural thing to do.
Rasoa has given permission for this photo of her and her husband to be shared with supporters.
Please join with us as we rejoice with her in her joy as she leaves us and pray for God’s blessing upon her and her husband. And pray that, through their faith and witness, the Lord might draw others to Himself in their remote village.
Thank you – and remember: God answers prayer!