A Walk to Wholeness A Profile of Dr. Debra Matityahu B
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our blank, tiled walls encompass an intimate area. Figures in navy scrubs buzz around the room, occasionally bumping into each other along the way, preparing for the next key sequential moments. One lone operating table is the focal point of the space, complete with an anxious, but hopeful patient. As everyone begins to find their fixed location for the next forty-five minutes, the patient is administered their spi-
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nal anesthesia and the operation begins. Aside from the surgeon’s commands, alternative conversation arises from a resident. The student nurse glances over at Dr. Debra Matityahu, who had flown halfway around the world to observe the surgery, and casually asks, “So what do you guys do in the States for this?” Dr. Matityahu becomes overwhelmed by this question. As her eyes swell with tears, she replies, “We don’t have obstetric fistula in the United States.” ebra is the founder of the nonprofit, A Little 4 a Lot. This organization aids women, physically and emotionally, in Eldoret, Kenya who have suffered from a fistula: a severe child birth injury that can leave them with physical
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ailments and social isolation. A fistula is essentially a hole in the birth canal that forms during a prolonged and obstructed labor period, leaving a woman incontinent of urine and/or stool. This organization has not only spared these women from complete alienation from their communities, but has also emboldened Debra to take risks in asking for monetary donations and the time of others. Debra emulates the link between both aspects of this organization, as she is the true liaison between the United States and Kenya. For Debra, the culmination of the nonprofit has been sheer serendipity; her line of work alone has led her to this cause and to these women. Her father’s advice inspired her to found this organization. He said, “Do unto others, that’s all that really matters.”
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rior to founding this organization, Debra resembled many admirable qualities. Being a mother of two children and a medical doctor, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Debra was leading a fulfilling life. It
wasn’t until she and her family decided to travel around the world in 2010 that she became acquainted with Dr. Hillary Mabeya, a gynecologist and fistula surgeon in Eldoret, Kenya. After a few more meetings and interactions between the two, Dr. Mabeya proposed the idea of adding a reintegration program (to follow the fistula surgeries), as he felt
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there was another part of this process that he was failing to treat. After several months of weighing her options, Debra was swayed into agreement by her daughter, Arielle, to fund the reintegration program. Arielle noted the reason she felt so strongly about this cause: “I felt like these were girls my age who were going through such terrible things, and if I could help them I wanted to.” A few short months later, A Little 4 a Lot became the collective organization involving not only the girls’ physical recovery, but their eventual mental healing too. Always a self-sufficient and capable woman, Debra found herself in the unfamiliar position of asking favors of others, on behalf of these women. As A Little 4 a Lot has evolved, so has Debra’s confidence in reaching out to others. Debra not only continues to be a mother and a doctor but also strives to immerse herself in new and engaging opportunities to raise awareness for her organization; the Silicon Valley Business Journal honored her as a recipient of the Bay Area’s Women of Influence Award in 2013. She noted that the only
reason she has been able to ask others for donations and other various forms of aid is because she’s not personally receiving the assistance; she’s allocating these donations on behalf of the women in Kenya who currently don’t have a voice. This growth has made Debra an infinitely stronger individual, not only for assisting others, but conquering what she considered to be a personal inadequacy. uring one of Debra’s initial visits to Eldoret, Kenya, Debra was overwhelmed with emotions. She recounts, “I called my sister while I was walking back to the place where we were staying, crying and talking about the horrors that I had seen.” Being an OB/GYN doctor, Debra was well versed in women’s medicine and therefore knew obstetric fistula existed; she later mentioned, however, the significant difference between reading and seeing, which became abundantly clear during one of her visits. Over the last few years, Debra has had several opportunities to witness the metamorphosis firsthand. n contrast to the serious nature of her visits, one of her favorite
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memories took place last summer in the courtyard of the Gynocare Center. Debra, along with two volunteer families, stood adjacent to a mixed group of women; those awaiting surgery and those recovering from their operation. The volunteers were aspiring individuals, enthralled and also eager to change the lives of these women. While the volunteers were contemplating their thoughts and goals, the women were simultaneously observing the volunteers and questioning their presence in the courtyard. A gradu-
wanted to paint the women’s nails. After a few moments of silence, one brave woman stepped forward and allowed her nails to be painted. After breaking the extensive uncomfortableness, several more women trickled in, all wanting to have their nails painted by these volunteers. As both groups gradually became more comfortable around each other, bonds began to form. A surplus of women around the perimeter of the courtyard slowly became drawn to the scene and wished to be a part of the action. It became apparent through everyone’s body language and eye contact that these two parties had formed connections.
“I felt like these were girls my age... and if I could help them I wanted to.” al shift from both sides allowed the two parties to hesitantly gravitate closer and closer together. Once within a closer proximity, two of the high school aged volunteers revealed some nail polish bottles from their bags, miming that they
Clarity had been instilled in Debra and the volunteers, as they now knew that they had successfully devoted their love to these women, which was the initial goal in their journey to Kenya. s the organization is only two years old, many of the staff members have their eyes set on more substantial and longterm goals. One particular objective that Ashton Smith, Webmaster/ Marketing Chair, feels strongly about is eventually reaching a point in the future where the organization is self-sustaining. He would like the nonprofit to eventually grow to the extent where the girls are
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We are walking them to wholeness; making them whole again, giving them a skill, and empowering them to make it on their own.
able to help and teach themselves without the external funding of the organization. Ashton also takes a practical approach to the future: “We should be balanced by taking on as many girls as we can, but also making sure that we take on few enough so that we can help them all the way through.” Furthermore, Debra has an entire checklist of goals for the future; some of the more important ones include the production of the self-sustaining farm, in which the women will be able to cultivate not only their own food, but also continue to receive support from others. Debra also envisions a growth of her staff and an increased bandwidth
so the organization can not only receive more donations, but accommodate more girls. As captured in the title of the organization, a little can go such a long way; This is why donations are always appreciated, because what someone would consider an “insignificant amount”, could also have the capacity to force a true change in these women’s lives. Debra notes, “I’m amazed at the continued generosity of friends and family. It’s beautiful to see, that people will give so much for women they will never meet.” r. Debra Matityahu’s nonprofit, A Little 4 a Lot, has the capacity to produce new lives for these wom-
en; providing them with not only physical reparations, but emotional support as well, has allowed these women the opportunity to begin anew and thrive in their communities. Debra likes to call it, “Walking them to wholeness; making them whole again, giving them a skill and empowering them to make it on their own.”
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