Trail 2016 to raise $ 5 m for Karapitiya Hospital

By Shannine Daniel

Trail, Sri Lanka’s largest crowd-funded charitable initiative, hopes to raise $ 5 million to establish a specialised oncology treatment and research centre for the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle next year.

Held for the second time since 2011, the 28-day-long endeavour will commence on 6 October 2016 from Point Pedro, Jaffna and is expected to conclude on 2 November at Matara.  

“Not everybody gets a second chance and what we would like to do is give people a second chance,” stated Trail Co-founder Sarinda Unamboowe in reference to the cause. 

Trail began as an idea and a purpose between Unamboowe who had pledged that if the war were to end, he would walk the length of his homeland as a commitment to peace, and Trail Co-Founder Nathan Sivagananthan who had suffered a personal loss due to cancer and wanted to help the many others fraught with this disease. They are supported by the Colours of Courage Trust on whose board they both sit.

Unamboowe went on to say that they want the hospital to be self sufficient like the Trail Tellippalai Cancer Hospital and the National Cancer Hospital in Maharagama in order to provide the accurate treatment of cancer for the six million people who reside in the South.

“As we completed that first journey, we turned to each other with the same thought, that we must next walk for our brothers and sisters in the South,” said Sivagananathan.

The objective of ‘Trail: The Walk Back’ is to generate funds to develop the treatment of cancer and other related facilities at the Karapitiya Hospital. This will create a more secure and patient friendly environment since those who are suffering with this disease need a lot of care, asserted Karapitiya Hospital Cancer Surgeon Krishantha Perera. 

The Cancer Treatment Centre at the hospital has a total of 135 beds and focuses on chemotherapy and the management of the side effects of chemotherapy. 

“At the moment we have a four-storey building; we have seven consultants and two surgeons,” Perera stated. 

In regard to the existing facilities offered, Perera revealed that the inward facilities such as the radiology and pathology divisions and the common amenities for patients including pain management, rehabilitation and counselling rooms are a few areas in need of expansion. 

“What we have in mind is a seven-storey building,” revealed Perera. “The main focus is patient comfort and care. We want our patients to feel at home, so that they will be more secure and comfortable. 

Sivagananathan further stated that they have received an overwhelming amount of encouragement from a vast number of supporters, especially President Maithripala Sirisena who is very keen on developing the treatment of cancer in the South and had previously declared open the Trail Tellippalai Cancer Hospital in Jaffna. 

More than 30,000 people from across the island united together in July 2011, to walk a 670 km Trail in the course of 28 days from Dondra Head in the South to Point Pedro. Sri Lankans, both at home and abroad, were able to raise over $ 2.2 million to build the country’s second dedicated cancer hospital the Trail Tellippalai Cancer Hospital, Jaffna.

Aside from the participants a further 300,000 onlookers from varied backgrounds joined to support this initiative. Furthermore the participants were able to collect almost Rs. 10 million along the way by utilising tills. 

Since its initiation, over 3,500 patients from all over the North and North East have been treated at the Trail Tellippalai Cancer Hospital including diagnosis and treatment of approximately 1,600 new patients. The hospital has 45 specialised staff and 120 beds spread across three wards, including a paediatric ward. The site also provides chemotherapy and iodine treatment facilities. In future a Radiotherapy and Brachytherapy centre is to be introduced as well.

Previous Trail Ambassadors and prominent Sports Stars Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena have recommitted to the cause and additionally actresses Jaqueline Fernandez and Yureni Noshika and Odel Founder Otara Gunawardena were also announced as Celebrity Ambassadors. 

After witnessing the immense contributions made by a multitude of people in 2011, both Unamboowe and Sivagananathan are confident that they will be able to achieve much more in the next year.   

Pix by Lasantha Kumara