2019 - Yomali Perera
Yomali’s Story:
My name is Yomali Sewmini Perera. I first identified my scoliosis when I went to get my dress altered for a wedding. I discovered, once the dress was fitted, that I have uneven hips. Over time, we consulted with five orthopedic surgeonswho instructed me to do physiotherapyand to swim. The body pain got worse with physiotherapy. It did not help. I even stopped swimming because I swam crooked.
I always get pain during the night hours after attending school and classes throughout the day. Standing or sitting for a long time, even without doing any work, gives me back pain and pain below the knees. I apply Ayurverdic oils to heal the pain but, within two days, the pain returns. The pain and deformity make me angry. Even choosing a dress is hard due to my figure. So, I prefer to spend most of my time lying in bed. Right now, I’m studying for adegree in chemistry to become a lecturer but, the pain increasesafter long hours of lectures and practical sessions (where I have to stand for hours). My parents have been worried about my future due to this and know how difficult and expensive spine surgery is where we come from.
In 2016, my mother came across Miss Suharshi Dabrera’s andother miraculous charity surgeries coordinated by SpineHope. This gave us hope and I held the hope that I’d eventually be accepted into the U.S. Hub Program and be able to get my surgery at Dell Children’s Medical Center.
As I am the only child in my family, my parents are extremelyglad that I’ve been accepted into the SpineHope program. I really appreciate and am very thankful for the worldwide service your organization provides children and teens in need.
Miss Yomali Sewmini Perera from Sri Lanka, who suffers from severe scoliosis and considerable back pain, travelled to Austin, Texas for charity spine surgery on August 13, 2019. Her surgery was a success and she is recovering at a rapid rate.
Yomali’s sponsor was K2M, Inc., now a part of Stryker. They not only generously agreed to support costs and services not donated but, they also donated implants, biologics and product for her surgery. Yomali’s spine surgeon was Dr. Ryan Murdock of Central Texas Pediatric Orthopedics and the surgery took place at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. We are grateful for their participation and support of this young lady!
