Akissi Nalalene

Akissi is a spirited teenager. Her gleaming white teeth brighten her contagious smile. Some things get lost in translation, but not Akissi's gregarious behavior. When asked for a photo, she swiftly poses with clenched fists showing off her buff arms – accompanied by her award-winning smile.

However, Akissi's life has not always been filled with smiles and laughter. She grew up in a rural village in the northern part of Togo. From a family of farmers, she learned to work long days under the brutal sun at a very young age.

At sixteen she moved to Cote d'Ivoire to be married to a man there. When she went into labor with her first child, she struggled for several days before finally going to a hospital. She received a cesarean section, but the baby was stillborn. Akissi was devastated.
Akissi noticed that she could no longer control her bladder. Her condition is called vesico-vaginal fistula, or VVF, and is caused by damage resulting from obstructed labor. It is very common in countries where there is little or no obstetric care.

At this point, Akissi's husband no longer wanted her, and he sent her home. It was a very long voyage from Cote d'Ivoire back to her village in northern Togo. Akissi did her best to cover up her condition. But the other people on the bus noticed the foul smell coming from her, and she was humiliated.

Finally she was back with her family in her village, Pkaple. Akissi struggled to endure everyday life. Her vivacious personality was stifled, and her head remained bowed in shame.
Then Akissi heard on the radio that doctors from Mercy Ships were coming near her village to see women with a leaking problem like hers. She attended the patient screening and received a date to make the journey to the hospital ship in Lomé. Excitement and hope filled her heart.
Mercy Ships arranged transportation for the women from the northern areas to get to Lomé. When Akissi arrived, she was overwhelmed by the bustle and commercialization of a large city, but she remained focused on her hope that in a matter of days she would have her life back.

VVF surgeon Dr. Steve Arrowsmith performed surgery on Akissi. When the nurses removed the catheter a few days later, Akissi was cured! For the first time in a year and a half, she was dry!
A few days later Akissi took part in a ceremony honoring the women who were blessed with successful surgeries. The sounds of drums, clapping and singing echoed through the ward as the women filed into the room in traditional African dress. Akissi wore a new cobalt blue gown with touches of golden yellow. Her face was lit up with joy.
Akissi stood up among her peers and a large crowd attending the ceremony and said, “Thank you to all the doctors and the nurses. Now, I can be among people. I no longer hide at home. Thank you Mercy Ships for all you have done.”
Thanks to the entire Mercy Ships VVF team, Akissi will return to her village and regain her sparkling, bubbly spirit. She looks forward to a normal life – a life free from shame and filled with joy.

Story by Claire Bufe Edited by Nancy Predaina

Akissi Nadalene (center) with Alizma Kotoir (left) wait at the Hospitality Center for their surgery date.

Alizma Kotoir (left) and Akissi Nadalene wait in the ward to find out if their surgeries have been successful.

Alizma Notoir (left) and Akissi Nadalene play connect four in the ward as they wait till their discharge day. Mercy Ships will transport them back to their village in Northern Togo.

Akissi is “made up” for her dress ceremony.

Akissi Nadalene is adorned with beautiful jewelry as she waits for the beginning of the dance. The dress ceremony symbolizes “rebirth” into a life without leaking. A captivating headdress is structured for Akissi's head. Her outfit is complete!

Akissi, center in blue, anxiously waits for the procession into the dress ceremony.

Akissi (second from right) sits among the 7 women being honored in the dress ceremony for being dry.