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S.Wijesinghas is father of three children. But he left leg is amputated above knee following a tragic accident, which changed his whole life when he was a teenager. But he is a courageous man. "I never think I am disabled. I'm healthy though I have only one leg. I climbed Seegiriya rock as well some years ago. I want to climb up Siripada before I die." says he.
He can ride mo-bikes. He changes the gears of the bike with his left hand. To add more sorrow, his thumb in the left hand was also lost some months ago when he was starting a two-wheeled tractor.
His garden is very beautiful. It has banana, rice, coconut, etc. plantations. He has dug a big well to water the garden that is situated in the middle of an extensive rice field. He works with his wife and children. It is the only solitary house in that area.
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"I can do all the work the other farmers do. I can work even in muddy rice fields with one leg. I don't want to beg from others for living. My wife is very supportive. So are the kids. I want them to live decently." says Wijesinghe. "I was searching for cattle near the river. Suddenly I heard a bang and my leg was covered with blood. I understood I was hit by a trap gun, which had been set by someone to hunt wild animals. I cried for help. Then my brother and a friend of mine came and they took me home. We couldn't stop bleeding. And since we had no way of transport then, it took hours for them to take me to Anuradhapura hospital. Once I was taken there doctors had no choice but to amputate my leg above the knees as the wound has gone bad. This wouldn't have happened if we had good transport." recalls Wijesinghe.
Thus he lost his left leg at 18 but his girl friend Geethika never left him even after the accident. Now they are married and live as a very united family with three cute kids.
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"I loved him so much. He was such a nice young man and I didn't want to leave him though my parents and friends wanted me to. I married him amidst everyone's protest. And we worked very hard and now we live in this house built by two of us. We burnt the bricks for our house. We bought cement and other building materials by selling few tractor loads of bricks. It was tiresome at times but life should go on. Once our kids grew up, we can rest." his 29-year-old wife is hopeful.
"But our kids are too small. The eldest, Hasintha is only 14. Next one Shanaka is 12. And the youngest, the only girl in the family, is only 9. I'm very concerned about my husband. He is overworking. He cannot work like this forever. He is 37 now."
Wijesinghe is aware of the fact that he is aging and cannot exert himself in this way. But he hasn't got any other option.
"We don't have electricity to our home since it's in the middle of rice fields. The nearest electricity post is around half a kilometer away.
And we have to pay for the electricity posts as well as the connection charges. To get electricity from the nearest electricity post is unaffordable to me. Solar power installation equipment is also expensive. I hope to buy a coconut-pressing machine someday to start a business of our own. It's easy to operate," elaborated courageous Wijesinghe.
One should appreciate this man's courage and his positive attitudes towards the life.
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