A mother of two, Harka Maya lives in Sindhuli, Nepal, roughly 80 miles (129 km) from Kathmandu. She developed a fistula in the summer of 2015, while in labor with her third child. Being from a poor farming family, it was customary for her to deliver at home.
But after seven excruciating days in labor, she was finally taken to a local hospital, where doctors delivered her stillborn baby via emergency C-section. She went home but was leaking urine and also suffered from foot drop, a nerve injury that made walking difficult.
After hearing that fistula treatment was available, she and her husband traveled to Kathmandu Model Hospital, where she was able to receive physical therapy to correct her foot drop. Due to the complexity of her fistula, she had to undergo two surgeries. But today, she is dry and living happily with her small family.