mama wata

i know. i've been missing in action on my blog. i have found myself without words more often than not this year. so many stories, so many lives have touched mine, but no words to go along with them. i owe stories about cleft lip repairs and changed lives and harding and the chaos on the streets and such. i'm sorry that my words have also been m.i.a. but here is wata's story

Wata, also, was too young to remember the infection that destroyed her mouth, stiffened her jaw joint and robbed her of speech. She’d been told she was born normal. But then, something happened, and her upper lip was eaten away by infection and her jaw joint was stiffened, only able to open millimeters. This infection is known as Noma and is a disease of poverty. Poor sanitation, unclean drinking water, malnutrition, poor hygiene, lack of immunizations and lack of basic medical care all contribute to Noma’s occurrence. It is an opportunistic disease, often occurring after a childhood illness when the child’s immune system is already weakened. Noma generally occurs in the poorest countries of West Africa. If it is left untreated or treatment is delayed, it is fatal 90% of the time. For those who survive, the effects are permanent. However, Noma can be easily be stopped if diagnosed immediately and treated with intravenous antibiotics.

In Wata’s story, she was one of the few who survived but at terrible cost. She was unloved and unwanted in her village, shunned due to the deformed features left behind after Noma’s ravages were complete. Her frame was slight due to the difficulty she had eating. Eating through a single plate of rice could take hours since she was barely able to move her mouth. Speech was impossible due to the inability to move her mouth up and down. Wata was one of the potential patients seen by the Advance Team. The Maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Giles, knew there was hope for Wata. A precious appointment card was given.

From the moment she arrived to the ward, Wata had no trouble making her “voice” heard, despite her inability to speak. She assumed the throne of her bed and looked on as daily activities occurred. She murmured unintelligible sounds as she pottered about. She seemed undaunted by the mid-phase where she now had to small mouths that she needed to squeeze nutrition in and breathe through. Daily, Wata’s strength and joy and patience spoke to all who interacted with her, touching lives. After the second stage surgery, Wata’s eyes filled with tears and a sense of wonder crossed her face as she beheld her new features in the mirror. Daily her smile grew more and more pronounced as she continued to direct from the throne of her bed. For the first time in her remembered life she could open her mouth, she could attempt true speech, she could eat!