By Shehani Alwis Pics by Susantha Liyanawatte Cancer sees no colour.

It sees no distinction between age, country, race or religion: Which is why the whole world wishes that Cancer was only the na e o! a constellation. Wal"ing into the #re ises o! Cancer $os#ital te #le what caught our eye was the wide o#en ain door that welco es e%ery #erson who has reason to see" !or its shelter. Situated at Sri Lan"a &'ational Cancer Institute& Pre ises ('o)*+, 'allawatte ,oad, -aharaga a. and the #lace draws its roots !ro )/01 when it was started by late 2en. Wegathale ,ahula 3hero. In the )/045s -aharaga a had been the only hos#ital that #ro%ided cancer6based treat ents !or the whole o! Sri Lan"a and there were a !ew nu ber o! beds and no !acilities around hos#ital !or acco odation or !ood !or #atients who co e !or clinical treat ents. 3hese #atients and their relati%es !ro re ote %illages had to slee# in the bus halts, see" shelter under trees outside the hos#ital when it5s too late in the night to get bac" ho e a!ter being discharged. 3he Late 2en. Wagathale ,ahula 3hero seeing the hel#less state o! the #atients and their !a ilies ha%ing no #lace to rest their heads, started a #lace !or lodging, !ree o! charge by erecting a s all wooden hut. Currently the chie! incu bent is 2en. $enega a dha adara 3hero. We ha%e been building this current building we li%e in !or al ost 14 years. 7ur initial ai was to shelter and acco odate those who co e to the hos#ital !ro !ar. We don5t 8ust sto# by #ro%iding acco odation but we go to the e9tent o! gi%ing the dry rations !or their daily needs. And we also #ro%ide the with !ood !or all three eals o! the day. ,e%. 2egantale Seewale, the 2ice incu bent o! the 3e #le who had been there with Late 2en. Wagathale ,ahula 3hero since * years o! age said. -ore than one illion #eo#le ha%e ta"en shelter here o%er the years. And the te #le has anaged to !eed the all. All the religious #rogra e in the te #le is are done by the te #le and they ostly loo" towards the ental heath o! the #atients. 3hey ha%e been #ro%iding healing and counseling #rogra es with Buddhis and editation !or su!!ering #atients to a"e the #rocess bearable. 3hrough ti e, we ha%e #lanned to build a : storied building o! which we ha%e already co #eted 1 stories. 3hat is where the #atients reside at the o ent. All this ha%e been ade #ossible only through the su##ort we recei%e !ro the donors. Says ,e%. 2egantale Seewale thero. Pee#ing through to the #lace where the #atients and their relati%es are they loo" bac" at as with glea ing !aces o! ho#e. $e alatha !ro A%issawella who had been a %icti o! ruthless cancer !or se%eral years loo"ed at us with tear6!illed eyes that this #lace is li"e hea%en to her. 3here were also others !ro -ahiyanganaya, ;alle, Wenna##uwa who were grate!ul that they ha%e a #lace as this. All o! the li%e together in har ony in this te #oral ho e, irres#ecti%e o! caste, religion, race and bac"ground. We are #lanning on building se%en storied building with beds and other !acilities. Since there are any #atients who ha%e lost !aith in li!e right at the !irst stage o! cancer healing syste s that ay increase the strength o! ind to !ace challenges and enhance the con!idence to !ace cancer.

3hey ha%e been able to establish a !oundation called Cancer Care Wel!are Sri Lan"a in which ,e%. 2egantale Seewale is the Ad inistrati%e <irector. 3he thero also stressed on the !act that the attitude o! the #ublic needs to be altered: and not wait until the go%ern ent to #ro%ide the #atients with edicine because we can ne%er #ost#one edication o! cancer #atients because cancer waits !or nobody. It grows. A!ter all, little things done out o! great lo%e a"e the world brighter than cancer can ne%er di inish.