Fundraising Cycle For Sri Lanka Hospital

There are many different ways to celebrate a big birthday, to mark the fact that, hey, you’re now officially old…

You can have a session, get a new look, try an extreme sport for the first time, or just go sit alone in a woods and weep…

For Greystones lad Walter De Ketser, cycling 400 kilometres with three old schoolmates as they raise money for a not-for-profit hospital in rural Sri Lanka is the way to go.

What a man. Even if Gillian made him do it.

Here’s the lowdown… 

Dear Friends,
On the 1st of March 2017, in celebration of my fiftieth year, I’m going to get on my bike with my ex school mates from London and ride 400 kilometres to raise money for a small rural not-for-profit hospital on the Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Samuel Fisk Green was an American medical missionary who founded Sri Lanka’s first teaching hospital in Manipay, which was later renamed the Green Memorial Hospital in his honour. The hospital is in its 170th year and is still a teaching hospital today, but it only survives (barely) because of the selfless commitment shown by a handful of individuals who are determined to keep it a free/charity hospital, as Dr. Green himself would have wanted.

During the 30 year civil conflict that destroyed all local infrastructures the hospital too was virtually none operational – plundered and destroyed – but with hard work and unwavering commitment in 2012/13 the teaching facilities were revived and 50 young girls, orphaned by the conflict, acquired degrees in ‘specialist knowledge and nursing skills’ at the Green Memorial. This I find very special because in a region where there’s nothing at all such an opportunity gives those young orphaned women something – dignity. Every story is a touching one because the hospital itself is all about giving – the few who give to the many. The Green Memorial provides free medical care where 50% of costs are subsidised by the Charity. Patients who can afford to pay do so by way of a contribution, which goes towards staffing costs. A free clinic is run weekly for those who cannot afford to pay for the care. Now, I don’t know about you but I find that extraordinary.

Still there’s a lot more to do and the hospital is in dire need of all sorts of medical equipment. Most immediate is a Kidney Haemodialysis Machine that costs USD 8000 and it is to raise money for the purchase of this new machine that I will get on my bike and suffer 400km across the island’s northern dry-zone.
So friends, the suffering is what I can do – but I’m looking for your sponsorship to help lessen the burden of my commitment to raise USD 8000 for the kidney dialysis machine badly needed at the Green Memorial Hospital. Please give generously – as I’m looking to raise as much as possible – $20 per kilometre for the 400km ride would buy the machine.
Every penny of your donations will go directly to the ‘Friends of Manipay’ charity – my personal contribution is to self-fund my entire trip to Sri Lanka, do the hard miles on my bike and add to your donations to bring us as close to the target as possible.
Thank you all in advance for your generosity – I truly appreciate your support.
Walter.
P.S. Gerald Simon my cycling colleague would like to dedicate this ride to the memory of Bavalan Pathmanathan (also from Manipay) who tragically lost his young life when getting hit in the chest with a cricket ball during a game.

DONATIONS:
Charity Name: FRIENDS OF MANIPAY HOSPITAL is a UK registered charity.
Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me directly and donations will be quickly processed and passed on to the charity.
Donation Page here 
Friends of Manipay Facebook page here
THE TEAM (riding with me)
Gerald Simon
Michael Arnold
Sunil Abeynaike

Elvis speed, young Walter. A fine way to mark your official membership of The Middle-Age Club…