Shimider Fistula: Obstructed Labour

Habiba Cooper Diallo at the Word On The Street 2011 

In honor of Black History Month I am going to write a book review written by a young aspiring writer Habiba Cooper Diallo. At the age 15 Habiba has traveled around the world a few times and her love for her ancestors is  remarkable. 

The book in review,  Shimider Fistula: Obstructed Labour, written by Habiba Cooper originally started as an 8th grade short story writing assignment. When speaking with Habiba about inspired her to write such story, this is what she had to say:

Obstetric fistula is a childbirth driven illness that results from an obstructed labour. The physical effects it has on the mother includes incontinence, genital ulceration, nerve damage and infections that can ultimately result in death if not treated. The baby is almost always still born due to lack of oxygen during labour. Fistula also has many extreme social and psychological implications. Most women affected by it are ostracized and abandoned by their communities due to the sever conditions it leaves them in, notably incontinence. This gives rise to psychological issues and many women resort to suicide. However, what is most disheartening about it all is that  obstetric fistula is a completely preventative illness. The women who are fistula patients lack adequate health care facilities. I was inspired to become an advocate for the issue about 4 years ago when I read an article about a young girl, Anafghat Ayouba, who suffered an obstetric fistula . Her story was very heart-rending this today I am passionate about creating public awareness about the issue to see the eradication of fistula.   

Habiba has been speaking on this issue through her soon to be released book during the Word On The Street 2011 Festival  . She captured the audience while reading her story with a great passion for this issue. The story is based in Ethiopia and it describes the journey of a woman who is pregnant and, while accompanied by two youngens, a boy and a girl, she is finally making it to the hospital to deliver the baby who has died on the way before she got the chance to give birth. Although the woman has a great chance at attaining medical attention for her obstetric fistula which she acquired through her painful labour, many women from these part of the world are not aware of the medical attention that they can receive to prevent and treat obstetric fistula. Generally women live in shame and segregated by the other citizen often living with a stigma of shame. 


The fact that someone as young as Habiba, a 15 years old, had taken upon herself to talk about this issue so openly it is a reason to admire today's youth. I hope to see a change and I am confident that her book will create the awareness needed for us to talk about this issue that women in under developed countries are facing in today's society. Please stay tuned for the upcoming book. Details to follow. Until then, if you would like to know more about fistula you can check out this link from The Fistula Foundation.


If you are wondering why I used this topic to talk about for the Black History Month well, here is why:

• Habiba is a very involved African/Caribbean/Canadian youth in the issues pertaining not only to fistula but to the Black history in general.
• Fistula is an issue predominantly taking place in  sun-Saharan Africa and Asia.

D. 

New Year's Resolutions

2012 is almost here and so are the new year's resolutions that most people make and only few keep. Why is it so hard to keep them? Why set resolutions if there are no intentions on keeping them?

Personally I make resolutions each year and I keep it simple: I want to be a better person than I was the previous year. Sounds simple, right? Let me put it in perspective. To be a better person for me means that I have to be a better mother, a better daughter, a better sister, a better mate, a better friend and a better business person. Now that sounds like a lot, doesn't it? It is but it's not impossible. This year I have a plan to make it all work...I will avoid all the unnecessary things and people, in other words: Prioritize!

I have decided to create a vision board to see where my future will take me ahead of time. I will not have only one but multiple boards. One of them will be created with my children to make sure they will understand where we are all going in life. One of my long time goals is to provide my children with opportunities I never had before. I want to make sure they understand what success is and what it means to fall through the cracks sometimes because what it really comes down to is how we get up after we fall that makes us who we are. Therefore, my priority this year, just like few years that past, is to become a better person, not only for me but for the people in my life!

What are your priorities for 2012?

 

You Lucky Bird Holiday Shopping for Fashionistas With Great Taste!

Our 1st Holiday Pop-Up is Here!

From Friday November 25 to Sunday November 27th, YouLuckyBird will host our first holiday pop-up shop. Come out and get your vintage fix with our curated selection of sweaters, coats and dresses galore! If you're a size 8-18, this will be the ONLY place where you'll find vintage from the 60's, 70's and 80's that fits and looks fabulous.

Grab a Drink and Chill 

To mix things up, we'll be inside JangBang, one of the coolest bar east of Bathurst. Come out, grab a drink and shop till you drop. We'll have music (no cheesy carols here) spinning and the eggnog flowing. 

YOULUCKYBIRD SHOPPING PARTY
When? NOVEMBER 25 - 27TH
Where? JANG BANG
Address? 430.5 COLLEGE STREET (E. of Bathurst on the north side)

See You This Weekend!

Self Imaging Therapy ~ What is it?

Renew, Rejuvenate, and Reclaim Your Strength, Power and Worth 

Self-Imaging Therapy™ is a fresh and exciting new approach to psychotherapy that Dr. Nicola Bird pioneered.This approach:

• Liberates you from blocks and transforms you in every session.

• Empowers and opens you up to a world of renewal and possibilities and personal empowerment.

• Clears away the mental clutter that holds you back.

• Provides you with the skills to create calm, joy and fulfillment in your life.

• Rejuvenates and restores you to wholeness. 

Self-Imaging Therapy works because self-images are a powerful and helpful tool for creating self-awareness, healing and change. The mind and body don`t know the difference between a real experience and an imagined one. If you vividly imagine yourself eating a juicy fruit (e.g. mango or peach), you will salivate in the same way as you would if you were actually eating it. In the same way, your mind will register and encode the self-image transformations that you experience through the Self-Imaging Therapy process as "real". More peaceful, confident and positive self-images are developed to transform you every time. Suddenly your mind and heart open up to the positive world you always wanted to have. 

 Dr. Bird expertly guides you throughout the process. 

Self-Imaging Therapy: Unveil Your Brilliance "Self-Imaging Therapy is food for the soul. It reconnects you with your whole being. It teaches you how to transform your problems. There is a true healing of wounded parts. It is like emotional Homeopathy” -M. Bollinger, Homeopathic Doctor

 Yes, it's really true: you do have the power to change your life for the better. For the next event we will cover how will Self-Imaging Therapy benefits your business and how viewing yourself makes a difference in your life therefore help you succeed in business world. Having control, power and tools in dealing with uncertainties will help create a boundary to fears. For more information on Dr. Nicola Bird's work please refer to her website.

  Be good to yourself! 

Experiencing a better Lifestyle

I always brag about changing my life and the truth is I find it quite hard to do it at times.

I find myself to be quite the multitasker and when it comes to my own needs, I rarely follow up. I do work quite hard and being a single parent of two very small children it does have it's challenges. Although this should be of no excuse, my children ought to be more of an incentive where I become their role model to a better, healthier life.

I realized lately that I feel over stressed. I yell at everyone because of  the littlest things and my patience level is running on minimum. I try to discipline (for lack of a better word) my children and when I come up with a grounding solution it seems that it is easier, at that moment, to just let it go only because I can't stand the thought of having to raise my voice at my children once again. Yes, life would've been easier if I were to have the support needed or if I were to live in a society where we would all understand that It takes a village to raise a child , literally. I sometimes feel that everyone around me has very high expectations of me and if I ever dare to fall through the cracks once the same people seem to be quite happy to throw an "I told you so" expression in my face. And if it isn't the good old fashion "I told you so" I get the classic "Your children, not mine". Don't even get me started on the sperm donors because that's a whole other blog entry.

So how can I be everything to everyone? It is simple. I will not!

My life changing experience starts NOW and the solution is simple. I will follow the blog entries of Coverground.ca to help me in making the lifestyle changes I need to help me better my life. In addition, I will make a commitment to exercise my favorite workout  at least three times a week to start with, which will also help me rid of stress. Nutrition will also be a big part of this transformation helping me to a healthier success where I will start by eliminating the toxic food and replacing it with healthier alternatives. And to make it more official, follow my blog to make sure I keep my word and to give me a push if and when I need it.

Cheers.

D.