Cancer Welfare Foundation launched.

My name is Noel Nadesan, living in Melbourne, a retired veterinarian and also a husband of a cancer survivor.

It was a sudden realisation similar to someone hitting me on the head on a dark night, that my wife and partner over 45 years turned out to be a cancer patient and her life was at the edge of the cliff. We were lucky with friends, family and doctors to navigate through the ocean of fear.

From that point onward we decided to help others who are in the same situation. We know that the disease itself and the psychological implications caused by this condition is more profound and dangerous for the victim and her/ his family.

Family support will help many people to fight against cancer because unlike other illnesses it is a prolonged struggle for physical and mental endurance.

This is why we thought to help a few other people within our limits and means.

Where do we start this was the question we faced. Though we were from Jaffna, we both had our tertiary education in University of Peradeniya, our eldest son was born here and our sweet memories entwined along with the Mmahavali river. Additionally, I have my dear friends Dr Neville De Silva and Dr Niranjala de Silva who volunteered to help us with this endeavour wholeheartedly.

It took 2 years for us to adjust to the situation and came out with the idea of forming a charity. The Covid epidemic followed by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka delayed the process.

In the Srilankan scenario, in comparison with many other countries, we are lucky to have good facilities and skilled professionals in the medical field.

What we thought was that we help cancer patients to receive healthcare through available resources and support them and their families while they undergo treatment. We are aiming to help people at the grassroot level.

We do not know exactly how we can actually achieve our goals but we are in the water instead of being spectators. We know we can walk along this path and look for others to help us too. 

I am grateful for all the distinguished dignitaries and many friends attending today and helping us. Your valuable ideas toward the end of this meeting would be greatly appreciated.

Dr. Noel Nadesan