A personal tribute to my wonderful friend, Zita
Pramilla Senanayake
“One last breath
has gone, and The 5th of October was a fateful
day. Got messages from Nisha & Rohan that Zita was no more.
I was in total disbelief. In fact, I was
in disbelief until the 27th of October when I saw for myself on zoom the remains of our dear Zita being
brought into the chapel and the last rites being administered”.
Until then I could not even write to the blog about our dear Zita. Now a week or so after her funeral I feel I want to pen a few lines about our beloved Zita.
I remember well our first few weeks at medical college as freshers. I did not get to know Zita too well but respected her as a good catholic girl a soft-spoken simple and humble person.
Years went by.
Our friendship was strengthened when she and Joe moved to the UK, and they set up home in Wembley. I was already living in Wembley, and we spent a lot of time together in each other’s homes. Got to know Joe and the kids well.
Fast forward, I had moved back to SL and was living happily here when one fateful day in October 2012 I had a serious shuttlecock injury to my left eye, two ophthalmologists in SL said they could not operate on my eye since the damage to it was quite severe. My dear friend from school and medical school days, Chirasri was a senior ophthalmologist here in Sri Lanka. I immediately got in touch with her and told her about my eye injury. She promptly contacted Zita our friend & colleague in the UK. Zita got to work immediately and made all the necessary arrangements to have the surgery at the Moorfields hospital in London. At the eleventh hour, as I was getting ready to travel to the UK the good Lord intervened and through Chirasri found me a surgeon who was able to perform the surgery in Colombo.
As time went on Zita and I got closer and closer. We talked on the phone regularly and chattered about our families, the situation in Sri Lanka and the wonders and miracles that our God had done.
2022 was a special year. I was in the UK on 3 separate occasions. On each occasion, I travelled down to Westcliff on Sea, once by train and twice my dear friend Lakshi drove me all the way to Westcliff on Sea. Those times together were special I usually took her some Sri Lankan goodies from London. Might be Lampries or patties Whatever it was she enjoyed them and was very complementary.
Those times together were unforgettable. I realized more and more what an amazing person she was. She realised the seriousness of her illness but continued with all the treatment knowing very well she wanted to continue to live for the sake of Joe Nisha Rohan and their families.
Zita loved life more than anything, she fought without ever complaining, and that was so until the end, with dignity and energy. Zita also taught me to live every day as if it were the best day; she filled the world with a beautiful smile, a big heart and a big joy. I realised that a terminally ill disease can be too invasive and destructive to the human body, even after treatment is over, the body fights back, trying to rebuild all the damage caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Dear Zita succumbed and is no more. Her family organised a memorial service in her honour on the 27th of October, a fitting tribute to my dear departed friend. One last breath has gone and ended
Good bye dearest Zita. Pram
Beautiful tribute Pram. Agree with everything you have said about her. Although I didn't see hert at her home during het last illness, I have been the lucky recipeient of her warm welcome and pampmering on my several visits to see her at her home. A very special person.
ReplyDeleteThan you Pram for your beautiful tribute to our precious Zita. I agree wholeheartedly with every word.
ReplyDeleteI remember meeting you
in the UK in Zita's home in Wembley in the late Seventies.
She was indeed very special and was loved as a family member... a precious sister, a much loved aunt and a God Mother. . I am so sorry that I did not have the joy of seeing her after our last Batch Reunion in Sri Lanka. You were indeed blessed to have been able to visit her 3 times in the UK
However we did keep in touch over the years and in the last few months we communicated regularly on WhatsApp. I am going to preserve her messages to me as they are indeed precious. I treasure the book of her poems that you brought for me . I keep reading them again and again ...I can almost hear her voice reciting them . I am so comforted to know that she is safe with Jesus her Savior she loved so much, and look forward to the day we can meet again, beyond the Sunset
Pram, Thank you for that lovely tribute to Zita. She was indeed a very special person. We will all miss her and cherish those memories. Zita had that wonderful ability to make everyone feel special. I love that Christian concept that one day we will all meet again. Rest in Peace.
ReplyDeleteMy Best wishes to Joe and the family.
Dear Pram,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your heartfelt tribute to Zita and for sharing your feelings about her. It is very difficult to lose a close friend. She was indeed a warm, wonderful talented person, who went out of her way to help others. My contact with her was mainly through our exchanges on the blog, when she posted a poem or a musical performance. When I realized that she had gone back to the hospital in September, I sent her a WhatsApp message wishing her a quick return home. She replied on September 28th "I'm out of hospital again! Z". Her positive and encouraging spirit will be sorely missed on this blog. May she "Rest In Peace."
Nihal, Suri and Srianee, thanks for taking the "trouble" to comment. Apart from us, the family gets a lot of consolation reading these as I know they still access our blog.
ReplyDeleteDear Pram,
ReplyDeleteLike all others, I agree with all what you have written about Zita