A ray of HOPE for cancer patients

By Nilma DOLE

My first meeting with Mahela Jayawardene was surprisingly, not on an international cricket pitch or amidst enthusiastic fans scampering to get an autograph from one of Sri Lanka's most famous and talented cricketers.

It was at a meeting at the Ministry of Health, where Mahela, his father Senarath and Upali Samarasinghe of the Lions Club of Colombo Somerset presented Rs. 21 million to complete building the HOPE Cancer Hospital.

The hospital adjoins the Maharagama Cancer Hospital and was Mahela's dream come true to give hope and a better tomorrow to children stricken with cancer.

This shows that there is definitely more to Mahela than what meets the eye. Beneath that tough exterior of a renowned cricket star, is the soft corner Mahela has for his beloved brother, Dhisal.

In 1994, Mahela gained recognition as the runner-up of the Sunday Observer Schoolboy Cricketer, but the year after was going to be one of the toughest of his life. In 1995, Mahela lost his brother Dhisal, but the same year heralded the beginning of his cricketing career, playing for the Sinhalese Sports Club.

"Losing my brother due to cancer was the most traumatic experience of my life. It left me with a sense of helplessness, which slowly turned to anger: Anger at the lack of facilities and the unspeakable anguish faced by the sufferers' loved ones," said Mahela, who still carries a photograph of Dhisal in his wallet.

It was trauma for the entire family when Mahela's parents, Sunila and Senarath, admitted Dhisal to London’s Atkinson Morley Hospital because of his brain tumour. Dhisal's brain tumour was unusual where symptoms surfaced only after he was 16 years old.

"He had to undergo surgery in London, but the tumour returned seven months later. We went to Nawaloka for chemotherapy, but were told that he didn't have many days to live," said an emotional Senarath, a former technical officer at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

Amidst family trauma, Mahela somehow found the ground to stand on and continued to perform to the best of his ability on the pitch, which gave him the courage to go on to captain Sri Lanka.

"Dhisal, a left-handed batsman, was a great cricketer and my grandfather always says he was better than me. When he was 14 Dhisal was the opening batsman for Nalanda college whereas I was the captain. He was too sick to play at 15 and 16, but we had a special season together," said Mahela.

Life-changing experience

For Mahela as a teenager, the experience made him look at the world differently because his family went through a traumatic time for nearly two years, flying to the UK for treatment, but losing Dhisal to cancer later. Mahela said, "How many people have the chance to go for this sort of operation? I see many families struggle without this chance and so we want to help other people."

Even though they were fortunate that they could afford to treat Dhisal in London, there are thousands in Sri Lanka who can't afford to do so and suffer in silence with no hope. Senarath said that when he went to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital to donate Dhisal’s medicine, he realised that it wasn't only his son fighting a lone battle.

“We saw the plight of children and witnessed from close quarters so many middle-aged people suffering. I had the money to at least try to treat my son but what about the impoverished? The doctors wanted me to introduce an award in memory of Dhisal, but Mahela thought we could do something better.”

In this sense, the mission of HOPE is “To harness technology and professionalism to stir hope, the essential element of human living for people who face death.”

Having set up the HOPE Charity Fund in March 2002, it was a formidable task to get the ball rolling with Mahela's cricketing career reaching a pinnacle, but also finding donors and campaigning for HOPE.

In April 2002, an agreement was signed with the government of Sri Lanka, under the purview of the Lions Club of Colombo Somerset, to allocate two acres of land at the Maharagama Institute of Cancer to build the HOPE Hospital.

"We started collecting money by selling tickets on the streets of Colombo and from my cricketing colleagues. By December 2004, over Rs. 40 million had been collected, but charity funding was halted after the tsunami," said Mahela, who himself had contributed Rs.15 million. Despite the temporary lull, Mahela commenced funding for the project, which he says is closest to his heart.

"We had a good opportunity when a party from the Middle East wanted to donate US$ 15 million, but they suddenly pulled out due to financial issues on their side. But we didn't lose hope and managed to look for individual donors too," said Mahela. In addition to Mahela's parents, his wife Christina has also been a pillar of strength in raising funds and making HOPE a reality.

Mahela, the cricketer

The foundation of the HOPE Cancer Hospital building has already been laid and work will be completed as Rs. 21 million has been handed over to the Ministry of Health.

Receiving many awards in his international cricket career, including the ICC's Captain of the Year 2006 inaugural award, Captain of the 'World One-Day International Team of the Year 2006', Captain of the 'Spirit of Cricket Award 2007' team, Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007 and holding the record for the highest score (374 runs) by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket, Mahela is a cricketer par excellence. He said his love for his brother continues to keep him going and encourages him that the HOPE project will be completed soon.

Mahela said, "We all wanted to do what we could to change the sad plight of cancer patients in Sri Lanka and personally build a monument of remembrance to my dear brother. We had, and still have, a vision of Sri Lankan victims of this terrible illness, having world- class facilities, medical care and emotional support."

The HOPE Cancer Hospital project has been split into two stages with help from a group of South African experts. Initially starting as a 450-bed ward, it will progress to a 750-bed clinical oncology ward along with an iodine ward. Two radiotherapy machines will be built alongside modern diagnostic treatment and ancillary facilities, covering 8,000 square metres, to be built at an estimated cost of US$ 4.7 million.

"The essence of HOPE is to give Sri Lankans a real fighting chance against cancer. Together we can make it a reality," said Mahela. He doesn't take credit for the project himself, but takes it as a silent call of duty that he won't rest until the project sees the light of day.