A near-death experience

As narrated to Annesley

Sumith Fernando by Nandika, wife of Gamini Setunga who was severely injured by the LTTE bomb blast at the Dehiwela Railway Station.

The terrorist bomb blast on May 26 at the Dehiwala Railway Station may, by now, have been forgotten by many people. But those who were affected by the blast and their family members will never forget the horrendous incident. How can the injured and the maimed ever forget the incident when they are still living in pain, suffering and mental trauma.

A person whose entire body was injured by the bomb, whose intestines and bowels were hanging outside the abdomen and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Kalubowila Hospital in an unconscious condition and after battling with death for almost a month has now come home. This story is stranger than fiction and hard to believe. But it is true!

Gamini M. Setunga of St. Peter’s Road Moratuwella, Moratuwa who is an employee of the Ministry of Justice and attached to the Labour Courts, Colombo.

Gamini M.S. who commutes by train daily had taken the seat just under the rack where the bomb had been placed. All of a sudden there was a deafening noise. When the bomb went off everyone around was injured, some were lying on the floor of the train. Some were lying dead.

People were waiting, shouting, groaning and there was utter mayhem and chaos. People in the vicinity were trying to extricate the injured and send them in vehicles to the Kalubowila Hospital.

It did not take long for the news of the bomb explosion to spread. Before long the entire nation knew about the bomb blast.

“The usual time for Gamini to come home passed. He comes home usually in this particular train”, said Gamini’s wife Nandika (De mel) Setunge. His brothers and sisters had suggested waiting for another half an hour. Wait, Wait... But ... Gamini? Gamini did not arrive. Nandika and her close relatives hurried to the Kalubowila Hospital. They went from ward to ward.

Some went to the mortuary also, looking for Gamini. But there was no Gamini Setunga”, wife Nandika said, “We went again from ward to ward and searched. We went to the mortuary again but without success. Now a few hours had elapsed, but there was no Gamini.

I wanted to cry aloud but suppressed it. Tears were welling in my eyes. My head was aching. In the midst of all this, I resolved to be courageous and placed my faith and confidence on the God that can do miracles. God will be with Gamini. Gamini is alive”, I said.

“Then what happened?” I asked.

“We want to see the DMO. He was very busy and was also answering his mobile telephone. Somehow we caught his attention and informed him of our predicament. He said that very serious patients were brought to the hospital and requested us to look again with the help of a hospital sister.

The sister again took us to the accident wards, but to no avail. Then the sister took us to the ICU saying that there was a patient who was not easy to recognise.

As we were proceeding we came across some papers and documents fallen on the floor including Gamini’s driving licence, season ticket and his notebook contain telephone numbers. Now we were sure he was in the ICU. The sister took me inside. And there I saw Gamini.

Although I was happy to see him, I was also frightened when I saw him, because there were tubes placed all over his body including nose, mouth, arms etc. A catheter was also attached for disposal of urine” Mrs. Setunga had stood still for some time, too shocked and stunned for words.

Mrs. Setunga spoke again, “Gamini had been brought to the hospital in a bus. As his bowels etc. were protruding out of his stomach the kind people had put inside a polythene bag so that he would not be exposed to dirt, dust and germs.

There were wounds and bruises all over his body, he was slowly bleeding all over, the skin on his face near his eye was burnt, one of his hands and a foot was severely broken. He was fully unconscious.”

Next Mrs Setunga had gone to meet the doctor to get his views regarding the patient, “His condition is very critical. His life is in danger, we are doing our optimum to save his life. Do whatever you can according to your religion,” the doctor had said.

“When I heard what the doctor said I was filled with tear for his life. The doctor’s words were echoing and reechoing within me. I was fully bewildered and disheartened. But in the midst of all this confusion, I mustered all my courage and said to myself, “No Gamini will live by the grace of God.

There is nothing that God cannot do. If Jesus could give sight to the blind, give hearing to the deaf, heal the maimed and disabled and resurrect the dead, then I will leave Gamini in his hands. I firmly and steadfastly put my faith and trust in God that he will heal Gamini.”

The priest in charge of the church had come and visited Gamini. He had seen Gamini’s condition. “Nandika, don’t be afraid. We as a congregation are praying for Gamini. Place your faith and trust in God. All your problems will be solved,” said the Rev. Fr. Lenin John Marshal who is in charge of St. Peter’s Church, Koralawella, Moratuwa. The entire congregation of the church had started praying for Gamini. Not only that the congregations of other churches in Moratuwa too had started praying for Gamini.

“Now days had become weeks and I was waiting by his bedside to see when he would regain consciousness and open his eyes and when he would start talking. I did not leave his bedside. When I observed the amount of drugs and medicines administered to him, I thought that the President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government spent thousands of rupees to save my husband. We were not rich people. But... still there was no change in Gamini. In the meantime the Rev. Fr. Marshall of our church and the entire congregation and all of us were praying to God steadfastly”.

“Then the miracle happened,” said Nandika Setunga “Gamini opened his eyes, slowly moved his hands, and attempted to talk. The doctors were wonder-struck and completely surprised. I cannot put in to words my happiness. I silently thanked God.

Nandika continued, “The arm and leg were broken, burns all over the body, though the bowels which were protruding out of the body were set, they had not healed properly and had to be reset again and medication given all over again, lifeless and unconscious for days - weeks with all hope given up, and all of a sudden Gamini opens his eyes, moves his body and even attempts to speak.

“Gamini had undergone eight operations. He was in the ICU for almost a month, his medical reports were not good, but I had faith that he would be cured,” she said.

The doctors decided to transfer Gamini to a normal ward. Then after five more days they suggested that my husband be taken home as they feared that being in a ward, germs could enter his body.

It would be better to be in the home than staying in a hospital ward. Before discharging him the doctors thoroughly examined him.

The reports were now all o.k. The burns near his eye was now healed. To find out whether a foreign object had entered the brains, they had brought a specialist from Colombo. No brain operation was necessary was the decision.

It was with a happy face that Nandika (de Mel) Setunge thanks doctors as well as sister nurses and the rest of the dedicated staff in ICU and ward of Kalubowila Hospital.