Gul lives in Afghanistan. At 13 years old, her father arranged for her to marry an older man who had another wife, and after one year of marriage, Gul became pregnant.
After delivery, Gul was unable to control her urine. At first, she thought her fistula was an illness that she would recover from. The first wife was happy about Gul’s problem because this would keep Gul away from their husband.
Over time, the other wife became upset when she realized that without Gul’s help she would have to tend to the housework, almond trees, cows and oxen all by herself.
Gul leaked for 12 years before receiving treatment from CURE Hospital in Kabul, a Fistula Foundation grantee partner. A neighbor had gone through successful fistula repair surgery at CURE and urged Gul to go. Her husband took her immediately.
After a four day journey by bus, Gul and her husband arrived at the hospital. Scar tissue from the previous surgeries made Gul’s operation very complicated, but eventually she was healed. When she was released from the hospital to return home with her husband, Gul’s doctors reported that she told them, “I am dry and I am happy! I am smiling and some days I am feeling like a Queen! I hope you can find more sponsors so that you can continue to help more women with this problem.”