Christine is from war-torn Sudan, and her journey to healing has been difficult.
At just 19, Christine’s small frame meant her baby was too large for a natural delivery. She went for a routine C-section at the local hospital near her home in Sudan, but tragically, the baby was stillborn. Soon after, her abdomen swelled painfully. She was taken back for surgery, in which the surgeons removed her uterus, together with her hopes for motherhood.
Christine was in hospital for months. It is likely that the hysterectomy was very challenging and a fistula resulted as a complication, causing her to leak urine almost constantly.
Then her country fell apart, as civil war broke out in 2023. As the situation became dire and food started running out, Christine fled with her husband, mother and six siblings to a refugee camp. It was a difficult place to live and Christine couldn’t stay.
“I wanted healing from this leaking and it wasn’t going to happen in the camp,” Christine said. She left her family, travelling alone to the border with South Sudan. She crossed on foot, making her way to a transit camp.
Her husband soon joined her there, but Christine was to suffer even more grief. Her husband got sick and died at the camp.
Alone, mourning, and sick, Christine focused her energy on getting to Juba where a cousin lived. She found her way to a boat on the broad, muddy River Nile that ferried her on a two-week journey to the state capital, Malakal. This stretch of river is infamous for pirates, but thankfully she reached Malakal safely. Here she waited for weeks until she was able to get a humanitarian flight to Juba, where she was taken in by her cousin. She began searching for treatment straight away, and was operated on at a public hospital. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.
Not one to give up, Christine found out about the supported hospital in Juba where Dr Andrew attends fistula camps a few times a year. She arrived early in the year and attended the first fistula camp in 2025. Her first surgery was only partially successful. She was able to have a follow up operation in June.
Christine’s operations were particularly difficult, but she was finally completely cured. She is filled with gratitude for the surgical team and all who made her surgery possible.
As a widow, unable to give birth, having not finished primary school, and as a refugee, Christine’s road ahead is difficult. Still, she has hope. Her mother and most of her siblings are still in the camp in Sudan, where food is often unavailable, and she wishes to find a way to support them. She is a quick learner, having picked up conversational English in her time in Juba. Christine is now full of hope as she looks for educational opportunities and a way forward.
Thank you to our regular givers, whose faithful giving enables women like Christine to attend fistula camps and receive treatment for free.