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Jun 15, 2005

"I want to unfold.
Let no place in me hold itself closed,
for where I am closed, I am false.
I want to stay clear in your sight." --Rilke (from the Book of Hours)

The Illiterate Surgeon

Fistula is a horrible condition that afflicts many African woman with uteruses that have been badly damaged by a trauma in the birthing process, often leaving them shunned by their husbands and communities. Mamitu Gash is one of the leading fistula surgeons in the world, having treated thousands of patients and trained hundreds of doctors. She is also illiterate.