I was deeply touched by the real life stories described in the books THE HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER and HEALING LIVES. The Hospital by the river is the hospital founded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Dr Reginald Hamlin and his wife, Dr Catherine Hamlin, to treat women who had suffered horrific childbirth injuries called fistulas.

HEALING LIVES is the moving and uplifting story of the friendship between Dr Catherine Hamlin and Mamitu Gashe who arrived at the hospital with horrific childbirth injuries. Mamitu was "adopted" by the Hamlins who treated her for her fistulas. She went on to become one of the most acclaimed fistula surgeons in the world despite being illiterate and never having had a day's schooling.

The work of the fistula hospital in Addis Ababa has saved the lives of over 60,000 of the poorest women on earth, restoring their health and, most importantly, their dignity and their place in society.