RITA: Healing touch for the distressed

Ruwini Jayawardana

If listening to her is a delight, an exclusive rendezvous is unforgettable. As promised, she welcomed us with that charming smile lighting up her face. At 68, Rita Hemapala possesses the looks of a much younger woman. Her secret is her innate goodness.

"Humanity is the hallmark of my character. I shall never be elated by my status or popularity. I never had any great ambitions. I never had so-called dreams to be cherished. All the achievement in my life came through smoothly, simply because I was and I am, truthful."

Hemapala is proud of the volunteer work she does simply because they have been embraced by the public. On top of her list is her role as a media person. From the inception of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, she had participated in several programmes as a script writer and presenter.

For three years she played an effective role as a part of the programme in Thursday's "Nuga Sevana", where she was able to touch on various topics concerning women. This made way for her to be engaged in many social service activities. She is involved with the Ranaviru Kantha Society and takes part in workshops organised for war widows.

"Rupavahini was very cooperative towards the social service campaign. Over the last two and half decades I have raised my voice solitarily in cultivating the minds of women, youth, students and the most respected clergy, about raising a virtuous generation to hand over our tasks. When I travel the length and breadth of this island, I feel relieved and rewarded when people embrace me for my outspokenness," she said with a smile.

Not surprisingly, Rita had been elected as the Outstanding Woman in Social Service in 2004, from among other candidates like Radhika Kumaraswami, Thiloka Sundhari Kariyawasam, Shirani Bandaranayake and Ruwini Nanayakkara.

Among many memorable events in her life, she was able to recall one specific moment.

"This incident occurred during a live programme on Rupavahini. The Youth Services Hall was packed with about 2500 spectators and I was present amongs various celebrities and beauticians. When I came on stage, clasping my hands together, the applause started and continued for over five minutes. It was deafening and brought tears to my eyes. I will never forget that moment because these actions symbolised the love of the people."

Being a role model to the society herself, aren't there any examples that Rita follows? She does not hesitate to answer my question.

"Without a doubt I can say that it is my mother. She was the example of a typical Kandyan woman; modest and well groomed."

She is originally from Kandy and has a younger sister, Priyani Perera, a principal.

Hemapala completed education at Gothami Balika Vidyalaya in English Medium. After working as a stenographer, she served in several institutions including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Sri Lanka Sugar Corporation, International Red Cross Society, and USAID. She is engaged with the "Sithum Pathum" programme telecast on Swarnavahini.

She was elected the President of the Nationalised Services Netball Association in 1972. In 1986 she got the chance to represent Sri Lanka at the Olympic seminar and workshop held in Greece.

At the seminar's opening ceremony, Rita was told that she had been chosen to perform the Olympic rites. She got to know later that they had chosen her from among all the representatives because of the modest way she had dressed herself. Even today, when she attends public occasions, she wears the Kandyan dress-the Osariya. It is a part of her identity.

"Today, we come across women who are mostly clad in Western cloths. Slacks are very moderate but you must not expose your anatomy. Women should be decently attired and such modesty will be admired by males," she explained.

Recalling her childhood, she admitted that she had been more of a tomboy and a real mischief maker. She had been punished on a number of occasions for her pranks but as she puts it, she had been beaten for a purpose to learn from her mistakes.

"We women can do a lot of things to support our country. Once, I met a woman who was living in a flat. She had grown a lot of useful plants in small pots. Rather than buying expensive exotic plants and setting them up for display, it would be more useful to have a curry plant so that you can pluck a handful for daily use. Saving money is a habit that should be cherished by Sri Lankan women."

Speaking of her achievements on the literary field, Rita claims that she is better at writing than making speeches. She already authored and published a Sinhala children's book "Lassana Lokaya."

Rita's husband is the well-known author, Nuwaraeliya Hemapala. He is attached to the Martin Wickramasinghe Trust and is very supportive of his wife's service in social welfare programmes. They have a son, Manjula, who is living abroad with his wife and daughter. Though they have been offered residence in Australia, she and her husband have decided to remain in Sri Lanka.

"We had achieved everything that we need. We are on a pedestal where we can serve people. Why should we leave the comforts of our Motherland and go in search of foreign pastures?" she asks.

"I do not believe that we have lost peace in our country. Peace exists but it is terrorism that we must wipe out. I am just about to embark on a mission to Mannar. I got a request from the Forces regarding a village where Tamil and Muslim children are suffering from extreme poverty."

And lastly, what is her future aim in her activities in the field of social service?

"One day I hope to build a house for a poor family having daughters. I wish to do this with my own finances. That is my humble wish."

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Free breast care consultations in October

BREAST CANCER: Free breast care consultations with doctors will be available to women courtesy of the Ceylinco Healthcare Centre in Colombo in October.

The objective of this programme is to provide advice and information to women on how to prevent breast cancer through regular self-examination and screening.

The free consultations will be on appointment and will comprise a physical examination by a doctor, who will also provide guidelines and awareness on proper breast care. The programme encourages women to undergo Mammograms, a screening procedure recommended to be done regularly by women over 40 years.

"Early detection of any form of cancer significantly improves the victim's chances of curing or controlling the spread of the disease. In the case of breast cancer, early detection can prevent the loss of the breast and the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body," Dr. Shyama Fernando, Senior Medical Officer of the Centre said.

"It has been established beyond any doubt that in Sri Lanka, breast cancer is the commonest form of cancer among females, and accounts for 22.5 per cent of all cancers in women."

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How to prevent Osteoporosis?

Anushka Nanayakkara

How is Osteoporosis diagnosed?

If doctor suspects that the patient is at a risk, he/she may ask her/him to undergo a DEXA scan. DEXA stands for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. It is a scan that uses special X-ray machines that check the bone density and confirm osteoporosis. Most of the time however, osteoporosis is often first diagnosed when you break a bone after a minor bump or fall.

How do you to prevent osteoporosis?

The following will help prevent bone loss. The advice is for everyone, but if someone has a higher risk of osteoporosis, it is particularly important.

Stop smoking. Heavy drinking should also be avoided.

Exercise: Regular weight-bearing exercise is best. This means brisk walking, aerobics, dancing, running, etc.

It is never too late to start. More vigorous the exercise, the better. Regular exercise is the best - at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise or physical activity 4-5 times per week.

When you exercise, the pulling and tugging on the bones by the muscles stimulates bone-making cells and strengthens the bones. It also gives strength to the supporting muscles around bones. This helps to increase tone, balance, etc, which may help to prevent falls.

Diet: It is important to take sufficient calcium and vitamin D. The recommended daily dose of calcium is 1000 to 1500mg. This can be obtained either by taking calcium tablets, or by drinking a pint of milk a day, plus eating 60 grams of hard cheese such as Cheddar, or one pot of yoghurt (125 g).

These could raise the blood cholesterol level. Butter is not a good source of calcium. Small fish (Sprats) are obviously a good source. A vitamin D supplement may also be helpful - a daily intake of 800 units of vitamin D will reduce the fracture risk. The body can produce Vitamin D on exposure to sunlight, but many elderly people require vitamin D supplementation.

What about Hormone Replacement Therapy?

In the past, after menopause women were treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT contains oestrogen, and it was thought that replacing oestrogen after menopause would prevent osteoporosis. While it does indeed do that, recently it has been shown there are certain long term risks in taking HRT; hence HRT is not recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis any longer, unless the individual is subject to an early menopause.

If someone has already got osteoporosis, are there any chances of recovery? The same measures discussed earlier must be continued. These include calcium and vitamin D supplementation, exercise and non-smoking.

There are in addition several drugs. Bisphosphonates is a group of drugs that includes alendronate, and are the most commonly used drugs to treat osteoporosis. These can help to restore some lost bone, and prevent further bone loss. The risk of bone fracture is reduced by taking one of these drugs.

Several other drugs such as strontium ranelate, calcitonin, raloxifene and Parathyroid hormone are also used, often in patients who cannot be given bisphosphonates. None of these drugs should be taken without consulting a doctor.

What about avoiding falls?

Yes, avoiding falls will prevent fractures. Special care should be taken to prevent falls, when you grow old. Check your home hazards such as uneven rugs, trailing wires, slippery floors, etc. Regular exercise can improve balance and stability, and helps prevent falls. Taking certain drugs which make you drowsy can also worsen the risk of falls.

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Readers' ATTIC

Do you believe in hope and love?

Two wonderful things
we need in this world
to survive the pain
and the guilt,
that haunts each one of us
as we lay.

Does confusion follow
and keep you,
from being the person
that you truly are meant to be,
or
do the silent tears
that you shed,
bring back the wish
a long time ago
as a child you made,
the wish to accept
only the wonderful gifts
that the world has to offer you
to make it a better place.

Anger and frustration is all that remains
for some who have given up
and forgotten their childhood days,
For happiness and love ,
Although it should have been,
was not a part of those days
as a child they spent,
Instead,
sorrow and grief was all that followed
which robbed them of their innocence and their faith.

Surani