Sisira Kumara

The following transcripts have been translated from Sinhala to English.

Introduction

Tell me about your life and your childhood.

“I live in Karambe, Ambanpola. I do farming in paddy fields. I spent my childhood in Ambanpola.”

Tell me about your siblings.

“I have three siblings. We grew up together. My father passed away when I was 9 years old, and it was my mother who brought us up. We were financially challenged.”

To what grade did you go to school?

“8th grade.”

What did you do after that?

“After that, I got into farming.”

Where do you live now?

“I live in my mother’s house.”

Are you doing a job now, since you lost your leg?

“No, I’m not doing any work now.”

What did you do before you lost your leg?

“Farming, and also some construction work.”

How do you spend your day-to-day life now since you lost your leg?

“I have a child who is 7 months old. We were expecting him when I lost my leg. My wife is at home. She cannot work because she has to take care of the baby. My mother is the one who goes to work and makes money. I stay at home and help take care of the baby, washing, etc. I do some gardening in my yard to grow vegetables, etc, for our consumption.”

What else are you doing to improve your economic and financial situation?

“I cannot get a job since I lost my leg. Financially, it’s very difficult. It’s my mother who makes the money.”

How do you get about?

“If I want to go somewhere, a friend of mine will come and take me.”

What are your hobbies and interests? What activities do you enjoy?

“I enjoy playing with my baby, and I enjoy gardening. I have a wheelchair, and use it to go out into my yard and water plants.”

Do you go to the road?

“No, I am limited to inside my house and yard.”

How did you lose your leg?

“I got a wound on my leg while farming. It was treated with medicine for about 2 months. In spite of the medicine, the wound got bad and infected. I was admitted to the hospital, and they amputated my toe. Still, even after that, the wound did not get better. Then, they did a scan of my leg, and I was asked to go to a bigger hospital for treatment. There, they cleaned my arteries. In spite of that, the leg continued to cause pain. The doctors said I need an artery bypass. I had a bypass and stayed in the hospital for 2 more weeks. One day, my leg started bleeding from the new graft. My leg had gotten gangrene, and they decided to amputate my leg.”

What was the time period between getting the wound and the amputation?

“About 4 months.”

When did you get your leg amputated?

“September 3rd, 2019.”

How did your life change after the amputation? What activities were you not able to do that you did before, and how did your life change socially and economically?

“After the amputation, most of the people who used to hang out with me kept their distance. It was my mother and family who helped me and was there for me. For about 11/2 months, I was mostly in bed. I could not use the other leg, because that was the leg that the graft was taken from, and it had to heal too. I went from being a completely independent person to being a completely dependent person. I was very sad and depressed, I felt it would have been better to have died than lived. I hated being dependent on my mother and wife. I felt like I’m being a burden to my mother and wife. They had to take care of me in addition to the baby. My wife had refused to sign consent for the amputation, it was my mother who signed the consent.”

How did it affect you financially?

“I could not make a living. I could not do the farming that I used to do. My mother worked in a store and made some money. Some other family members were into farming, and they sent us rice and other goods. We did not have any money to get what we needed for the new baby. It was my sister who helped us with that. The financial situation is still like that.”

How do you expect your life to change after getting a prosthetic leg?

“With a leg, I will be able to get around more and get some kind of a job.”

How would it help your day-to-day activities?

“With a leg, I can get about and do my activities of daily living without having to depend on others. Even going to the toilet, now someone has to get a bucket of water for me. But with a leg, I can get a bucket of water for myself. I will be able to engage in gardening activities more and grow food for my family.”

How would it affect you when engaging in activities outside of the house?

“I would be able to do errands, go shopping by myself, take a bus, and go places. I would help out my family more. Before, I used to use a bike to go shopping with friends. Now, friends are unable to help. With a prosthetic, I will be able to get back to those activities.”

Follow-up (6 months)

What challenges did you face after receiving the leg?

“I took a while to learn to walk with it, but now I have no problems.”

How did it impact your life?

“I am able to be more independent and take care of my daily activities. I feel so happy now and I am very grateful to you.”