I thought it was only me

I thought it was only me

The other night I was watching a Nova special on PBS about women in Ethiopia who had developed very severe injuries, fistulae, from obstructed labor during childbirth. Many of these women are teenagers whose lives are changed forever by this condition. There’s a wonderful hospital in Ethiopia’s capital, the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, working hard to restore the lives of as many women as possible. I encourage you to watch this touching special yourself on pbs.org. The title of the program is A Walk to Beautiful. During an interview with one of the injured women, she made a statement that I had heard earlier in the week: “I thought it was only me.” Most of these women are so isolated from family, friends and any type of medical attention that they think they are the only ones with these injuries, which are in reality quite common in Ethiopia.

As I was getting my hair cut recently I asked my stylist the most common theme, so to speak, of conversations by women who come in to get their hair done. It was the same as the young woman in Ethiopia—I thought it was only me. If I could reach out to all these women, I would reassure them that they are never alone facing life’s problems and dilemmas. There are always others traveling the same road seeking answers, direction and solutions. You might be lonely at times, but you’re never alone. Our journey is unique, but thankfully it intersects with others often enough for us to realize that there are many similarities from which we can learn and gain hope and strength.

“Ever notice that Soup for One is eight aisles away from Party Mix?”-- Elayne Boosler (1952- )

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