A trip of a lifetime

A journey from Sri Lanka to Guernsey for an operation did not prove to be a bridge too far for a local charity, as Nick Mollet reports SRI LANKAN Dayawathi Halisinghe Liyanage was heading for life in a wheelchair when Bridge 2 Sri Lanka arranged for her to travel more than

5,000 miles from her home to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital for a knee operation.

Daya, 56, a diminutive lady standing 5ft 2in tall, has lived a tough life and comes from Dickwella in the southern tip of the country, three hours south of where she works selling paintings in restaurants in Hikkaduwa.

Her husband and daughter are artists and her second eldest son, Thushra, is an art teacher in a local school.

Bridge 2 Sri Lanka founder Sarah Griffith met Daya last year when the woman was selling her family paintings in the restaurants of Hikkaduwa.

She was in a lot of pain as her knee had degenerated and in October Ms Griffith took her to a consultant in Galle and was advised she needed urgent reconstructive surgery.

After being referred to another consultant in Colombo, it was found they had only a joint which would last two years.

'I was not prepared to put her through an operation that would give her only a very short bit of comfort,' said Ms Griffith.

She asked former Guernsey consultant surgeon Roger Allsopp if he would be able to source a knee joint anywhere that could be taken to Sri Lanka for an operation.

He immediately contacted Guernsey-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rhanjan Vhadra, from the Medical Specialist Group, who offered to undertake the operation in the island for nothing.

'Given the choice between a hospital in Colombo and in Guernsey, there was no choice. I had seen inside an operating theatre over there with various medical staff with no gowns or masks and hygiene was questionable,' Ms Griffith said.

Dr Vhadra said he has a long waiting list in Guernsey and patients have to wait a long time for operations but stressed it is a lot longer on the NHS.

'I came in on my own free time and made sure that with the time involved nobody was being paid at Guernsey taxpayers' expense. I have been very impressed with how hard the nurses work. The morale in the hospital is excellent and this has really brought people together,' he said.

He said that he might in his holiday time fly out to the area to see surgeons there and to show them how to undertake the operations.

A Senegalese-speaking doctor based in Guernsey was also able to help the MSG with interpreting.

The family's paintings range from sea scenes and beautiful sunsets to statues and monuments in the hill country and Buddhist monks.

They have been received very well in Guernsey and in Ms Griffith's mother's home town of Worcester.Anybody wishing to view them can call her or visit the Jyra Fairtrade shop in Mill Street where they are on display.

The woman's family were 'absolutely stunned' to be offered the opportunity to come to the island with her for the operation.

'I was going to bring her son, Thushra, and daughter-in-law, Charini, and their five-month-old baby over. Charini spoke perfect English. But the British Embassy and head of the visa section would not allow me to bring them out to accompany her,' Ms Griffith said.

'There is a rumour I have heard from several high-up sources that 200 Tiger girls are currently in Colombo awaiting their orders,' said Ms Griffith.

A staggering 86% of suicide bombers in Sri Lanka are women - they are brainwashed by the Tigers and it is understood that their families are paid an enormous amount of money once they carry out a suicide bombing.

Ms Griffith and Daya flew from Sri Lanka to Guernsey on Sunday 7 May.

'It was a very traumatic journey for her. She has never been out of Sri Lanka and has only ever travelled on a coach or train.'

Both were forced to sit in monsoon rain at Colombo Airport at 2am, with Daya in a wheelchair.

'She was incredibly brave,' said Ms Griffith.

They were met at Heathrow Airport by Bridge 2 Sri Lanka committee member Karen Goodhew and were chauffeur-driven to Gatwick.

Daya was terrified on the Aurigny journey to Guernsey due to turbulence.

In Guernsey the woman stayed at Ms Griffith's house until Thursday 11 May and they managed to locate one of her distant relatives, Irene de Silva, who has lived in London for 29 years, and she was brought to the island as an interpreter.

'She has been invaluable and has had the hospital staff in hysterics. She has a wonderful sense of humour,' said Ms Griffith.

After the successful operation at about 8.30am on Saturday 13 May, Daya was up on crutches on the Monday.

Dawn Thomas, from the Guernsey Physiotherapy Group, has been working closely with her at the hospital.

Her rehabilitation will involve a lot of hard work on Daya's part to get her leg working properly again.

It is expected that the physios will be seeing her twice a week for the six weeks after she has left hospital.

Ms Griffith wanted to thank everybody publicly who has helped.

'I can't express, on behalf of the committee, deep enough gratitude for the time, services, love and compassion people have given to make Daya's visit to Guernsey possible,' she said.

Bridge 2 Sri Lanka was set up in July 2005 after Ms Griffith became frustrated that money that had been given did not appear to be spent to help those traumatised by the tsunami.

She initially devised a shopping list so people could sponsor an individual item and she would buy it and show them a photo to illustrate what their money had been used for.

Next she was involved in delivering humanitarian aid, including food parcels, into camps in Hikkaduwa.

Bridge 2 Sri Lanka's main Guernsey co-ordinator is Nicola Hainsworth and it has a strong committee which organises events such as the Sound of Music fund-raiser at St James in March which raised £12,000.

It is also proud to have scooped third place in the PR campaign of the year section of the marketing awards.

Medical relief is provided along with taking people to specialists in Sri Lanka.

It has just completed building its fifth house - the quickest took just nine days from site demolition to completion.

Former Bailiff Sir de Vic Carey is now involved and has agreed to fund out of his tsunami fund a house which has just been completed.

* For more information about the charity's work, tel. 07781 100159 or visit www.bridge2sri lanka.com.

Thanks go to...

* Roger Allsopp for having the idea in the first place.

* Rhanjan Vhadra gave the surgery and the limb free and his secretary, Sue, did the paperwork.

* Consultant anaesthetist Alan Boyle gave his services and his secretary, Nancy, did the paperwork.

* Jane Tanner, Stephanie Bacon, Traci Bourgaize and Jo-Ann Tallant, all staff in the theatres, gave their 'off duty' time freely to attend the operation.

* The sisters and their staff on the ward for taking care of Daya.

* Dawn and Mike Thomas, Gayle McClelland and all the staff of the GPG for the physio services and their care and compassion.

* Andrew Chambers, of La Collinette Hotel, for donating the accommodation.

* Suki, from Class Chauffeurs in London, for donating the trip from Heathrow to Gatwick.

* Malcolm Hart, managing director of Aurigny, for donating Daya's flight to Guernsey.

* St John Ambulance for the wheelchair.

* All committee members and the general public who have been so kind.