A true life fairy tale

Little Devmini who gained a new lease of life through the Mercy Mission gets a chance to go to London

By Ayesha Inoon. Pix by Berty Mendis.

It was a star-studded night at Number 10, Downing Street. Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie were welcoming the winners of the 2006 Children’s Champions Awards – among them Surgeon Conal Austin, honoured for annually organising a team of specialists to travel to Sri Lanka to treat children with heart problems.

As he went up to collect his award he carried in his arms the child who was, for him, the real star that evening– five-year-old Devmini Fernando whose life he saved on the first mission to the island. Handing her over to Cherie Blair, it was from Devmini’s hands that he received his award.

This is the true life fairy tale of a little girl who made the journey from despair to hope – from a death-sentence to a joyous new lease of life. Today, as she runs around her home in Ragama, and recounts wide-eyed, her voyage on an aeroplane to the wonderful city of London, one can hardly believe that she was once given only 45 days to live.

“Devmini was diagnosed with a hole in the heart at 11 months,” says her father Upul Fernando, a crane operator at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. He recalls the anguish of those days when doctors told them there was nothing to be done but wait and hope the condition would heal on its own. When they learned from their local church that ‘Mercy Mission’, a group of doctors from the UK, were due to arrive in Sri Lanka to conduct free heart operations, they grasped at the slight chance it offered.

The family was initially dejected to learn that the name of another man in his 30’s had already been submitted for surgery and that only one person could be nominated by the church. However, they later found out that the team only conducted surgery on children. With the doctors being there for just one week, a mad rush from Ragama to the National Hospital in Colombo followed, with tiny Devmini tucked into the back of her uncle’s motorcycle with her mother Samanthika.

The grave looks on the doctors’ faces as they examined her daughter did nothing to ease her fears, remembers Samanthika. It was then that a local doctor told her that her child would die in 45 days. Conal Austin, the chief surgeon on the team of doctors, initially said the surgery was too difficult since the child was very small and her chances of survival were extremely slim.

However, in the end, deciding there was nothing to lose, he agreed to go ahead. At the time they did not even know the blood group of the child and all the tests and the five-hour operation were completed within 24 hours. “They just told me to trust in God and hope for the best,” says Samanthika.

Devmini with Cherie Blair and Mr. Austin

Four years later Devmini – vibrant and healthy as any other youngster of her age – shook hands with the British Prime Minister, as her saviour Conal Austin was lauded for the wonderful work he had done.

“The trip to London was rather unexpected – all the preparations were done in less than ten days,” says Upul. It was Jai Lameer, who established Mercy Mission, and who had been in close contact with Devmini’s family since her surgery, who first informed them of the possibility towards the end of October, 2006.

News of the World, one of Britain’s leading newspapers along with Barnardo’s, UK's foremost children's charity, of which Cherie Blair is President, were presenting The Children’s Champions Awards to celebrate those who go further than anyone else to make a positive difference in the lives of children.

As Mr. Austin was also to receive an award, the organisers invited Devmini and her parents to be part of the celebrations in November, sponsoring everything from their passport photographs to their one-week stay at London’s celebrated Marriot Hotel.

“They bought me a lot of toys,” says Devmini shyly, showing the collection of toys from the world-famous toy store, Hamleys. She adds that the “Prime Minister Uncle” was very kind but she did not understand what he said in English.

The hosts that evening were Simon Cowell of American Idol fame and News of the World columnist Ulrika Jonsson. Popular entertainers such as the bands Westlife and Sugababes were also part of the festivities.

Happy family: Devmini with her parents and little sister

A tour of London’s famous sights – Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, the River Thames and many churches and monuments – was a memorable part of the trip for Devmini’s parents. They also visited the children’s hospital where Mr. Austin was Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon. There they discovered that the doctor had performed successful surgeries on a large number of children in that country, sometimes even on babies in the womb.

“It is both by God’s grace and the doctor’s skill that our little girl is with us today,” reflects Upul. Now a grade one student at the Ragama Primary School, she is perfectly healthy and does not need to be restricted in any activities. Only the scar on her chest remains as a reminder of her near brush with death.

For Devmini’s parents this is nothing short of a miracle. They wistfully say that they wish they could do more to show their appreciation to these wonderful people who sacrifice their annual leave from work to come to Sri Lanka on this completely voluntary mission. “They give life to those who have lost all hope of living,” says Upul, and for that gift they thank them from the bottom of their hearts.