Gamini Piyawansa

Introduction

Gamini is a 45-year-old amputee from Kandy. He reflects fondly on his childhood when he grew up in a farming community and attended a village school. Before his amputation, Gamini used to weigh goods in a grocery store and play cricket.

“My father was a farmer. I helped out at my father’s farm, and at age 22 I began working at a grocery store in Ambatenna,” he said on the topic of his background. “I have a family with 2 kids-- a girl and a boy. They are still schooling.”

When a wound on his toe got infected, Gamini first went to the local hospital for treatment. After it worsened, his leg was amputated below the knee 1 month ago. He currently walks with the help of crutches.

While his wife and relatives have continued to support him, Gamini has lost his job and source of income. Prepared to maintain a prosthesis, he added, “I will try to go back to my store job again.”