Scoliosis walkathon: TMC Colombo joint project with Lions Club of Nawala

TMC Colombo conducted a joint project, "A Scoliosis walk-a-thon", with Lion's Club, Nawala, on 25 November, 2023 at Independence Square. Over 400 participants attended the event organised by co-project directors, Dr. Nilmini Withana and Viraj Senanayake. 

Founder Chairperson, Sri Lanka Scoliosis Awareness Program, Dr. Nilmini Withana states, “This is the 10th year we have successfully completed this scoliosis awareness walk-a-thon. Our focus throughout has been to raise funds and other resources to help children to recover from the unfortunate deformity on their spine, and for their parents to meet heavy costs involved in treating the children. A major change this year is the dedication of our activities to implement a series of awareness and resource-building programs through the Scoliosis Awareness YouTube, Face Book and several other media and communication instruments to draw the attention of the public.”

“Scoliosis is a spinal deformity with a sideways curvature that develops among children between the ages of 10-15. Some such deformities continue to get more severe as children grow up. Severe scoliosis can be disabling reducing the space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly. It may need surgery to keep the scoliosis from worsening, and to straighten severe cases of scoliosis. In severe scoliosis, the rib cage may press against the lungs and heart, making it more difficult to breathe and harder for the heart to pump, thereby endangering the life of the victim,” says Dr. Nilmini Withana, who has been instrumental in helping over 216 affected children to get cured through surgery during the past 10 years.