Gift of life - thanks to Milton Keynes' generosity

UK: A seriously ill schoolboy in Sri Lanka has been given the gift of life - thanks to cash raised by the people of Milton Keynes, UK.

Eleven-year-old Naveendra was born with a serious heart condition but his parents, who lost their home and all their possessions in the tsunami, could not afford to pay for life-saving surgery.

The Children's Hospital Tsunami Appeal Fund, a charity launched by Bletchley GP Tush Wick, heard of Naveendra's plight and sponsored his operation through another UK charity, Mercy Mission.

"Mercy Mission is led by a British team of doctors and nurses who perform life-saving heart operations on some of the poorest of poor children in Sri Lanka. The cost of each operation is approximately œ1,000," said Tush.

Naveendra and his parents have struggled to cope after their home village was flattened in the tsunami. They are living in sheltered accommodation and relying on his father's wages as a car washer to survive.

"Naveendra is a very nice boy and extremely concerned about his m other and worried that she is not overloaded with expenses, work and worries. He has missed out on part of his schooling due to being made homeless and his heart condition," said Tush.

The operation was a complete success and this month Naveendra has returned to school.

She originally launched the charity with the aim of building a specialist children's hospital in Sri Lanka. But despite intensive fundraising - including the sale of her own beloved car - the project was beset with pitfalls. Miltonkeynes.co.uk