[RIPTA] IKHLAS : AN ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR OF CONVERSATIONS [RAK 16]

Stories by Wani Ardy

Illustration by Kullest Fafa

Pages: 101 pages

PROLOGUE

            I was about to turn eighteen when – after a series of hospital visits, check ups, test and admissions- a gynaecologist finally diagnosed me with Mullerian agenesis, also called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Houser syndrome. MRKH Syndrome is a congenital disorder that happens to 1 in every 4.500 to 5,000 women all around the world, including Malaysia. MRKH women were typically born without the organ uterus and/or without a vagina – impacting the kidneys, bones, and hearing, plus abnormalities in connected organs. It is not a disease; it is a condition. It is not terminal or fatal; it is a lifetime battle of surviving various sickness, whilst struggling with self-esteem and

physical-mental health issues. Being an MRKH woman means more than just “not being able to carry a pregnancy” as it affects us in many different ways; physically and psychologically, mentally and emotionally, socially and sexually.

…