By Madhushala
Senaratne
Four-year-old Akindu Gamage was born with a medical condition known as bilateral profound hearing loss. He required a costly cochlear implant, which he subsequently received, thanks to donations from the public, but his parents are having a hard time providing him with the necessary follow-up treatment –regular speech therapy – because of financial and other constraints.
According to Akindu’s doctor, Lasni de Alwis, a speech pathologist and audiologist attached to the Golden Key Eye and ENT hospital, patients suffering from this problem require regular therapy sessions, or recovery could be slow.
Meanwhile, the cost of treatment and therapy is not the only problem that Akindu and his parents face. Medical tests recently confirmed that Akindu and his twin brother Anuga suffer from squint and amblyopia, a condition that affects vision. The twins are in danger of losing their sight if early action is not taken.
All this bad news, one unpleasant shock after another, is proving too much for the family.
The family’s main source of income is what Asoka B. Gamage, the twins’ father, earns working at the Medical Supplier’s Division. Money for the cochlear implant, which cost Rs. 28 million, was raised with the help of generous donors. But the bills have been piling up again, because Akindu has to go for regular check-ups and therapy.
Now expenses are set to soar, beyond anything the family can afford, as the parents struggle to save their two sons from going blind.
Over the past few years, Asoka and his wife have faced a series of emotional and mental crises. The twins were in fact originally triplets, Asoka explained.
“The third child died. Akindu had the cord tied around his neck. Because he was weak, he was kept in an incubator at the Kalubowila hospital. He then got encephalitis because of a virus in the incubator. This happened in December 2003, and it happened when the doctors were on strike that year,” Asoka said.
When Akindu came home, and the family was finally reunited, the parents thought the worst was over, and they could now look forward to being a happy family together. That hope was short-lived.
Not long after, Asoka noticed that Akindu had a hearing problem. It was then that the Gamages learned about the need for the cochlear implant.
A patient with a cochlear implant is expected to attend regular speech therapy and mapping sessions. The implant operation and the therapy are both available at the Golden Key Hospital. The speech therapy costs Rs. 500 per session, while mapping costs Rs. 1,000 per session. Akindu is required to attend 20 hours of speech therapy and four sessions of mapping a month, bringing the total cost to Rs 14,000 a month.
The cost of mapping goes up over time, as the child grows. “In the first year it is Rs. 1,000 per session, and the next year it goes up to Rs. 2,000, and then Rs. 3,500,” Dr. de Alwis said.
The doctor pointed out that regular attendance meant faster recovery, and that a patient should attend at least one session a week. The therapy includes play activities, and the patient should be provided with assorted playthings that give off various sounds. “Akindu would come to the hospital regularly, once a week, for therapy. But now he comes only once a month. He is picking up fast, but if he misses sessions his recovery will be slowed down,” the doctor said.
The costs continue to pile up.
Dr. de Alwis said the implant in Akindu’s ear contains batteries, wires and coils that have to be replaced regularly. “The batteries cost about Rs. 1,500 each, and we need three batteries. And these batteries must be changed regularly.”
Meanwhile, the Gamages are despairing that they will not have the money to meet all the family’s medical bills. “We understand that the more sessions Akindu attends, the greater his chances of not going deaf. But these expenses are very heavy for us. And toys and books are also very costly,” Asoka lamented.
Out of desperation, Asoka ventured into a magazine trading business that has only exacerbated his financial problems. He started selling magazines on subscription, taking orders on credit, but several customers have defaulted on payments. Customers owe him more than Rs. 37,000.
Another urgent need is two pairs of spectacles for the boys, each costing Rs. 5,000.
These days, Asoka gets to sleep just two hours a night. He has taken on a job transporting goods to sustain the family and pay the medical-related bills.
Meanwhile, CD shop Vibrations, near the Town Hall, Colombo 7, is selling a special CD to help raise funds to help Akindu. Titled “Akindu Kumaruta Suwa Wewa”, the CD has images of various sites of Buddhist interest, accompanied by a soundtrack of pirith chanting. The CD also carries information about cochlear implants. All money raised from sales of the CD will be used to cover Akindu’s medical bills.
To supplement the family income, Asoka, who is interested in photography, has been borrowing cameras and video cameras from friends in order to take photographs to sell. He wishes that he had equipment of his own to continue in this line of work. Asoka is appealing to any person or persons who might have photographic equipment (still cameras/video cameras) that they are not using to kindly consider donating such surplus equipment to him so he could help his family.
Asoka’s mobile phone number is: 077 3418241.
Donors who would like to help Akindu and his family could make a contribution to the following account:
Account No: 0820 – 01964396 – 101
Seylan Bank, Borella
Account-holder’s name: Akindu B. Gamage
Swift code – SEYBLKX
Mother’s name: Vajanthamala Heendeniya | 
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