A few months after Mahela Jayawardana won the Best Schoolboy Cricketer Award in 1994 while representing Nalanda College, he experienced the greatest setback in his life in 1995 as he was exposed to the news that his dearest brother Dhishal was suffering from a brain cancer.
Being aware of the fact that facilities necessary for treatment were not available in Sri Lanka for this condition, Mahela’s father Senerath Jayawardena took Dhishal to the United Kingdom for treatment and he underwent a surgery there. However further treatments weren’t successful as Dhishal succumbed to cancer when he was just 16 years old.
Just like his elder brother, Dhishal too showed his cricketing excellence early on as a left-handed batsman. Dhishal in fact was not only Mahela’s best friend but his cricketing companion too.
According to Mahela, Dhishal was a better player than him And would’ve made his name shine in the game.
Former Sri Lanka Cricket captain recently took part in a walk from Point Pedro to Dondra Head to raise funds for a Cancer Hospital in Karapitiya as he frequently gets involved in raising funds for cancer treatment centers.
Mahela along with his family were engaged in religious activities in his remembarence as today marked the 25th death anniversary of Dhishal Jayawardana.
“It’s 25 years since I lost my brother and just wanted to acknowledge my parents who have been so strong all this years. Family and friends who kept us going…Thank you 🙏🏻 @ Colombo, Sri Lanka” Mahela Jayawardana thanked his family and friends in a social media post.
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