Father to donate liver to daughter; appeals for urgent assistance

When she was one-and-a-half months old, little Buddhima’s skin turned extremely pale. “Her eyes, soles, palms turned yellow,” said U.L Chaminda, 36, the father of Buddhima Shihara who has been diagnosed with liver failure at a tender age by both Dr.Dharmasiri Jayawardena, Paediatrician of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) and Dr. Gomades Narasingh of the Chennai Global Hospital of India. 

The disease has been identified as biliary atresia which is a childhood disease of the liver that affects the bile ducts.  

Buddhima, a student of Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya, was first examined in the LRH where the doctors directed her to seek treatment in India as liver transplants were not performed on children in Sri Lanka, though such transplants are available for adults in the country. A barely one- and-a-half months old infant, she had to undergo a surgery known as ‘Kasai Procedure’ at the LRH.  

Now a liver transplant is essential, and her father has volunteered to donate a part of his liver to his only daughter whom he strives to save from a tragic end. The transplant surgery is estimated to cost around Rs. 5, 625 000, which her parents cannot afford as they have no permanent employment. Chaminda was a driver for a lawyer in Bambalapitiya before, but now he is unemployed as his time is totally dedicated to seeking financial support for the surgery. They live in a rented house in Narahenpita.  

Elaborating on the symptoms, Buddhima’s mother Dilini Lakshika, 29, said that though she was born healthy her weight began decreasing, and that she had become extremely thin. Her excreta had been very pale. “She was a beautiful fair-skinned girl, but later became dark. When she gets a cold or cough, her skin turns yellow. When she itches, or her foot knocks on a table, her foot swells and turns black. We do have medicine administered by doctors in India, which are a must to control these symptoms,” she said.   When asked if there was no other treatment available other than a transplant, she replied, “The doctors said that a transplant was the only solution. The doctors predict that if we don’t treat her liver, it may swell with liquid and that there would be fluid leakage, which should be prevented.”   “We have been asked to do the surgery within six months. So we hope to do it in December and we will have to stay for four months in India, where the transplant will take place,” she added.  

Referring to the measures he has to follow as the donor Chaminda said, “I am on a strict diet. Before this problem, my weight was 80 kg and now it is down to 70. I was never a smoker and now I am eligible to donate as my blood group matches with my child.”  

Now seven years old, Buddhima has not attended school for the past four weeks because she has to attend gatherings and meet people to collect the required sum of money for the surgery. The parents have obtained permission from the Zonal Education Office to sell tickets in schools and they humbly appeal to the public to send their mite to help their daughter.  

 “We have to do the surgery in six months. We need to save her. She is our only child.” Behind their calm and resolute voice is desperation and fear for a life that could be easily swept away if the required treatment does not take place on time.  

Generous donors could send their contributions to the following Bank account.