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Hello my friends around the world,
I trust this message finds you in good health :)
My name is Hayley, many of you will know I am currently living an adventure in Sri Lanka with my husband Dami. I am reaching out to share a personal story in the hope you may be able to offer us some support.
My much loved mother-in-law Nandanie has very recently undergone emergency open-heart surgery, which has left her family (of course my new family) in financial crisis.
Dami's family are Buddhist and have lived their entire life in a small village area near Tangalle, located in the southern province of Sri Lanka. They are survivors of the 2004 Tsunami, which completely devastated Sri Lanka's coastline, including Dami's hometown. Dami’s father is a fisherman, but age and old injuries keep him close to the shore. Together they have hand-built a happy and humble home. Nandanie is a grandmother to four gorgeous grandchildren. She cooks rice and curry on an open fire and is a brilliant storyteller over a cup of sweet tea: a true character to adore.
My mother-in-law is the reason Dami and his three siblings have hearts of gold. Those who have had the pleasure of meeting Nandanie will know she has a twinkle in her eyes, cheekiness in her smile and warmth in her nature that can only radiate from a person when it's truly genuine. Her heart is something to cherish, which brings me to my story.
Earlier in 2016, Nandanie experienced a heart episode that served as a warning of her deteriorating health. This scare was compounded by the premature loss of her brother and her father also to heart disease. The family has been growing increasingly concerned for Nandanie. They have supported her to attend multiple ayuverdic and medical appointments, but until recently she remained without a clear solution for improving her long-term health outcomes.
On Saturday 6th August during a specialist test in Colombo, Nandanie was diagnosed with coronary artery disease and further advised of being at very high risk of a life threatening heart attack in the near future. The specialist recommended urgent surgery. So as a result, arrangements were made for Nandanie to have coronary artery bypass grafting.
The operation was successfully undertaken on 11th August and Nandanie is currently in recovery. This operation package totaled $8000, not including extra costs for medication, family transport, accommodation and general hospital stays, which to date equals around $1000 and is expected to rise. The family only had a few frantic days to source this huge amount of money and already they are burdened with the stress of how on earth to repay their scattered debts.
The family have applied for a medical grant from the Presidential Funds which will help put a small dent in the debt, but the maximum amount allocated will be $2000. The outcome on their application will take weeks and has no guarantee of sucess.
To put repayments into context, the average daily income for a typical village family equals around $15.00 to $30.00.
When it comes to financial crisis in Sri Lanka, families call upon each other for assistance. As an outsider, this show of generosity presents a beautiful display of family spirit and solidarity in tough times. On the inner circle, the support is raised by the immediate and extended family selling assets, using heirloom gold as leverage at the banks, or refinancing existing loans. The money is presented by lenders quickly, but carries risky conditions that cause extreme difficultly for the recipients to meet repayment deadlines. Sadly this often ends in further debts or loss and in some cases relationship breakdown.
For a very hardworking, but low-income family like Dami’s, these pressures hit particularly hard. Not only does a crisis such as this leave his family in debt, but it also jeopardizes the financial security of their loved ones.
In Australia, many of us see more and more people reaching out online to raise funds for a myriad of causes; from vet bills, to tragic accidents, for cultural development projects and those struggling with family health concerns. However, it is a tricky decision to make cross-culturally, where there is limited understanding of how social media works, especially when it concerns the people at the center of the cause.
Regardless, I am here to do something to support my family in this special circumstance of need. I am trying to raise funds as a collective gift to Dami’s parents to help pay Nandanie's medical debts.
The best thing: the currency exchange between Australia and Sri Lanka means that even small amounts of money equals absolutely huge help!
Please know I am 100% mindful of our diverse individual life circumstances and would in no way be hurt or offended if it was not the right time to contribute to Nandanie’s cause. I am aware that we all have our own families to nurture and our own challenges to resolve. But my feeling is that it is worth reaching out and giving my new family a head start they could only dream about during this awful time.
This gift would be absolutely life changing; it will give every single family member 100% of the energy they need to take care of Nandanie, who is the center of this beautiful family. It will remove pressures that seemingly have no limits. It will remove a debt that will span a lifetime and beyond.
Whether or not I reach my target, every single dollar will be given as a gift to my mother-in-law from a network of family and friends in Australia and around the world who send their love and best wishes for a speedy recovery, in every sense of the word.
As this is a gift, it should come as a special surprise. For anyone with links to Sri Lankan communities, particularly in Tangalle, please refrain from sharing this link on social media.
With lots of love and blessings and deepest gratitude
Hayley xx
I trust this message finds you in good health :)
My name is Hayley, many of you will know I am currently living an adventure in Sri Lanka with my husband Dami. I am reaching out to share a personal story in the hope you may be able to offer us some support.
My much loved mother-in-law Nandanie has very recently undergone emergency open-heart surgery, which has left her family (of course my new family) in financial crisis.
Dami's family are Buddhist and have lived their entire life in a small village area near Tangalle, located in the southern province of Sri Lanka. They are survivors of the 2004 Tsunami, which completely devastated Sri Lanka's coastline, including Dami's hometown. Dami’s father is a fisherman, but age and old injuries keep him close to the shore. Together they have hand-built a happy and humble home. Nandanie is a grandmother to four gorgeous grandchildren. She cooks rice and curry on an open fire and is a brilliant storyteller over a cup of sweet tea: a true character to adore.
My mother-in-law is the reason Dami and his three siblings have hearts of gold. Those who have had the pleasure of meeting Nandanie will know she has a twinkle in her eyes, cheekiness in her smile and warmth in her nature that can only radiate from a person when it's truly genuine. Her heart is something to cherish, which brings me to my story.
Earlier in 2016, Nandanie experienced a heart episode that served as a warning of her deteriorating health. This scare was compounded by the premature loss of her brother and her father also to heart disease. The family has been growing increasingly concerned for Nandanie. They have supported her to attend multiple ayuverdic and medical appointments, but until recently she remained without a clear solution for improving her long-term health outcomes.
On Saturday 6th August during a specialist test in Colombo, Nandanie was diagnosed with coronary artery disease and further advised of being at very high risk of a life threatening heart attack in the near future. The specialist recommended urgent surgery. So as a result, arrangements were made for Nandanie to have coronary artery bypass grafting.
The operation was successfully undertaken on 11th August and Nandanie is currently in recovery. This operation package totaled $8000, not including extra costs for medication, family transport, accommodation and general hospital stays, which to date equals around $1000 and is expected to rise. The family only had a few frantic days to source this huge amount of money and already they are burdened with the stress of how on earth to repay their scattered debts.
The family have applied for a medical grant from the Presidential Funds which will help put a small dent in the debt, but the maximum amount allocated will be $2000. The outcome on their application will take weeks and has no guarantee of sucess.
To put repayments into context, the average daily income for a typical village family equals around $15.00 to $30.00.
When it comes to financial crisis in Sri Lanka, families call upon each other for assistance. As an outsider, this show of generosity presents a beautiful display of family spirit and solidarity in tough times. On the inner circle, the support is raised by the immediate and extended family selling assets, using heirloom gold as leverage at the banks, or refinancing existing loans. The money is presented by lenders quickly, but carries risky conditions that cause extreme difficultly for the recipients to meet repayment deadlines. Sadly this often ends in further debts or loss and in some cases relationship breakdown.
For a very hardworking, but low-income family like Dami’s, these pressures hit particularly hard. Not only does a crisis such as this leave his family in debt, but it also jeopardizes the financial security of their loved ones.
In Australia, many of us see more and more people reaching out online to raise funds for a myriad of causes; from vet bills, to tragic accidents, for cultural development projects and those struggling with family health concerns. However, it is a tricky decision to make cross-culturally, where there is limited understanding of how social media works, especially when it concerns the people at the center of the cause.
Regardless, I am here to do something to support my family in this special circumstance of need. I am trying to raise funds as a collective gift to Dami’s parents to help pay Nandanie's medical debts.
The best thing: the currency exchange between Australia and Sri Lanka means that even small amounts of money equals absolutely huge help!
Please know I am 100% mindful of our diverse individual life circumstances and would in no way be hurt or offended if it was not the right time to contribute to Nandanie’s cause. I am aware that we all have our own families to nurture and our own challenges to resolve. But my feeling is that it is worth reaching out and giving my new family a head start they could only dream about during this awful time.
This gift would be absolutely life changing; it will give every single family member 100% of the energy they need to take care of Nandanie, who is the center of this beautiful family. It will remove pressures that seemingly have no limits. It will remove a debt that will span a lifetime and beyond.
Whether or not I reach my target, every single dollar will be given as a gift to my mother-in-law from a network of family and friends in Australia and around the world who send their love and best wishes for a speedy recovery, in every sense of the word.
As this is a gift, it should come as a special surprise. For anyone with links to Sri Lankan communities, particularly in Tangalle, please refrain from sharing this link on social media.
With lots of love and blessings and deepest gratitude
Hayley xx