“Even though I lost both my legs, I am a complete man at heart,” says Chaminda Wickramaratne, revealing his plans to set a Guinness World Record.
On September 17, Chaminda will ride a hand-powered tricycle for 213 km from Peliyagoda to Anuradhapura in 10 hours. “It has never been done before,” he says, explaining that it will be a Sri Lankan and international record simultaneously if he achieves the feat.
Chaminda was 26 years old when he was diagnosed with Pyoderma gangrenosum, a very rare disease that affects one in ten million people. The skin and muscle in my legs began to waste away, he explains. After about 40 surgeries, one leg was amputated in 2000 and the other in 2003. “I wasn’t sad. I was more relieved about getting rid of the pain. I have got used to life without my legs and never stay a day without working,” says Chaminda. At the time of the diagnosis, he was in the garment business. Today, he makes ends meet by driving a three-wheeler.
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| Chaminda: Wants to go to the paralympics. Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara |
Chaminda sets a wonderful example as father to son Usith (13) and daughter Lasha (one-year-old). “He takes care of all of us,” says his wife Shirani. “Chaminda is strong-willed and hardworking. People are always waiting to get everything for free, but Chaminda is not. He is a strong man and I’m proud of him,” says Shirani with tear-filled eyes.
They met at a class in Nugegoda and married in 1993. A few years later he became ill. “We have been married for 18 years and there has been much difficulty and sadness, but we have made it through everything. “When you love someone, you don’t abandon them when something goes wrong,” she says.
Chaminda made his first attempt at setting a Guinness World Record on his birthday on August 13, but his trip ended in Pasyala due to an accident. Undeterred, Chaminda is looking forward to his second attempt with much enthusiasm.
He will use a World Made tricycle donated by Motivation, an international organisation that helps improve the lives of people with mobility disabilities. It is not a cycle designed for racing, explains Chaminda, but with the help of others he has been able to modify it to suit this trip, he says.
Institute of Sports Medicine Director General, Dr. Geethanjana Mendis will oversee Chaminda’s attempt while the Police Chief N.K. Illangakoon and the President’s Office have also pledged their support. He adds that his friends too have been very supportive.
“In the future I hope to compete in the Paralympics,” adds Chaminda who is also planning on launching a website, Pannaraya, to encourage other disabled people in Sri Lanka. “I want to support the disabled who hide from society,” he says. |
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