2018 Mar 2
One of the brightest med students in his batch, life was certainly looking good for Dinesh Palipana. Until the day of his car crash, where a severe spinal injury left his fingers and lower body paralyzed. Everyone thought his dreams of being a doctor were long gone but today, he has disproved the skeptics by being one of the first quadriplegic doctors to work in Queensland. This is his story.
Born in Kandy, the Palipana family moved to Australia in 1994 to escape the war. Initially, wanting to join the Air Force, his mother talked him into starting a Law Degree. However, he lacked a connection to the subject and he found that it was only through medicine that he found a sense of purpose in life. In his life-changing decision to choose Medicine, he found that he loved the science right from day 01.
His professors and fellow students described him to be hardworking and smart. Definitely seen as one of the more popular students of the batch and a charming man in general, everything in his life was falling into place. Until the stormy night of his tragic car crash- 31st January, 2010. Being a rainy day, he easily lost control of his car- it toppled over and rolled multiple times. When the car came to a stop, Dinesh couldn’t feel or move his legs and fingers and he knew- as a third year med student- that he had injured his spinal cord.
In a bizarre turn of events, the first doctor on scene was the very Doctor who had given Dinesh a lecture on trauma just a short while before the accident.
Spending more than 7 months in a hospital in Brisbane, Dinesh struggled to give up his dreams of being a doctor. He had gone from being the guy who had everything to the “guy in bed 10”. At this point, no one believed that he would be able to resume his studies. His parents’ marriage fell apart and he found himself pushing his girlfriend away. He began to shut himself off from the world.
Despite not having been to his home country in 20 years, he and his mother decided to come back to Sri Lanka to recuperate. Not yet giving up on his dream, however, Dinesh found himself drawn back into communicating with the Griffith University staff on his chances of resuming studies. One such professor who kept in touch was Prof. Harry McConnell, who took it upon himself to support Dinesh in his decision to come back. Drawing up the strength to do so, Dinesh found himself returning to Griffith University after 5 years to resume his studies.
There were skeptics, there were those who firmly believed that as a quadriplegic he wouldn’t make it but he was determined to work hard, study hard and graduate.
“Dinesh totally challenged us all, I think. He was ready to shine, he was ready to prove something and for me, as an educator, there’s nothing more exciting than supporting students that really want to succeed” – Dr. Liz Fitzmaurice, Griffith University
And he really did prove himself. Two years later, he graduated with his degree.
Unfortunately, it would seem that getting a job would be no easier. Facing discrimination, Dinesh found that all his fellow graduates got jobs while he was refused. After waiting in frustration for 6 months, he was relieved to befinally offered ajob at Gold Coast Hospital, Queensland, where he has worked for over a year now.
Needless to say, he has certain job restrictions and has had to think creatively to perform his duties as a doctor but he is excelling nonetheless. He hopes in the future that those who follow after him will not have to face such hardships and discrimination that he has faced and openly disapproves of the recent education policy that allows medical students to be rejected based on any physical challenges that they might have despite the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency allowing such practitioners to work safely, with reasonable limitations.
Indeed, Dr. Palipana is a shining example that physical challenges can be overcome and his story gives us an inspiring outlook on life. His dedication and determination, ignoring the skeptics and eventually proving them wrong is something we all could learn from. Being part of the team that founded Doctors with Disabilities to support peers with disabilities and to reduce social barriers, he is most definitely a role model for disabled children and adults to look up to worldwide.
Thumbnail from https://ndsp.com.au/dinesh-palipana-covid-19-and-people-with-disability/
