At 25 years old, and halfway through medical school, Dinesh Palipana was just getting started.
After spending his early years in Sri Lanka in "simple surroundings" living through a war and eventually calling Australia home, Dinesh, was well on his way to achieving his dream of working in medicine and giving back to the community and the country he says welcomed him so warmly.
But on a wet night in January 2010, Dinesh’s world was turned upside down when his car hit a slippery patch of road, causing him to lose control.
"When the car finally stopped rolling it was upright," Dinesh tells Mamamia over the phone, now 14 years on. "I tried to get out of the car and my fingers weren't working, and then I realised that actually, nothing below the chest was working," Dinesh shares, while on his way to work at the Gold Coast Hospital Emergency Department.
After learning he had a spinal cord injury, and would be facing a new life with quadriplegia, Dinesh was staring down a gruelling eight months in hospital followed by nearly four years of adjusting to his new life at home.
Dinesh recalls having to relearn everything, "Learning to sit upright without fainting, how to get in and out of bed again, how to get in and out of a wheelchair, how to get in and out of a car, figuring out how to shower; how to do all those physical things," he lists as just the start of the trial that stood in front of him. "The physical recovery was painstaking, but the physical aspect of it's just one thing — then there's the emotional and social effects of such a trauma."
Speaking to Dinesh now, the gratitude he has for everything he’s been given is palpable. But a new battle lay ahead once he was ready to return to medical school and continue down the path he always knew he was destined for.
"The return to [study] was very difficult," he says. "I had some very challenging conversations with academics and doctors, it wasn't an easy process to do that. I think people still face barriers in accessing education when they have a disability, and that was certainly the case for me."
As an ambassador for the Gold Coast Hospital, Dinesh is working to create better awareness, visibility, and support for those living with spinal cord injuries. Spending his days with patients in one of the busiest emergency departments in Australia, he has intimate access to the beating heart of the community, when they need him most.
"It's really one of the most rewarding jobs, and to me, it's the best job in the world," he says of his work in the ED.
As an ambassador for the hospital where he works, Dinesh is passionate about the work of the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation (GCHF), a non-government-funded hospital charity relying solely on the generosity of the community. "The hospital foundation does amazing work, and is celebrating its 30th year in operation," says Dinesh, "It provides resources for the hospital, the staff, and patients that can make a real difference in their lives."
The foundation relies entirely on support from donations and the local community to provide crucial patient support services like accommodation for those in need, and transport for renal and cancer patients. "They also fund important pieces of medical equipment, and support research that can make medicine better," explains Dinesh.
One way this happens is through the GCHF’s partnership with Play For Purpose, a not-for-profit community raffle that offers a chance for ticket holders to win amazing prizes while supporting deserving charity organisations like the GCHF.
Helping hundreds of charitable causes across Australia, Play For Purpose has raised over $9 million to help the community since its inception in 2018, with more than $60,000 of that going to the GCHF. But the great thing is, when you buy a ticket, you choose which cause your ticket helps support.
Of every $10 ticket sold, at least $5 from it is guaranteed to go directly to supporting your chosen cause, like helping GCHF to fund their healthcare programs and services. The impact of just 10 tickets purchased to support the GCHF can fund a night of emergency accommodation for family members with a loved one in critical or emergency care.
"Organisations like this are so important," says Dinesh, "Everyone wins when we have things like this, I think it's a really creative way to do things that benefit the community."
Since graduating from medical school as the second person in Australia to do so with quadriplegia, Dinesh has been recognised with some impressive honours. These include the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019 and Queensland Australian of the Year for 2021. And while honoured to be chosen, he really sees these accolades as a platform and an opportunity to continue to give back to his medical community.
"We're a country about giving everyone a fair go, so it just reminds me to try and fight and uphold those philosophies," he says of the many awards and speaking opportunities he continues to receive in his career.
Dinesh is firm in his belief that living with quadriplegia has made him more empathetic and effective at his job. He credits having such an intimate experience of both sides of the medical system with helping him connect more deeply with his patients’ experiences.
"Even though we might have difficult days and tough times, I often think about why I'm there, which is for the human being in front of me. There's something really sacred about that. I mean, this relationship between a doctor and a patient, it's as old as humankind," he says. And he takes the trust his patients put in him very seriously.
When asked what he would tell someone who has just been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury like his, Dinesh draws on his early learnings of Buddhist philosophy.
"One of the things they teach you in Buddhism is that everything is impermanent and that we shouldn't become attached to things," he explains.
"I always think that when there are good times, you gotta soak it in, you gotta celebrate it, you gotta seize the moment because you never know when that moment will be gone. But when we experience a low, that too is impermanent. It's useful to consider that this too shall pass."
If you’d like to support the amazing work of a local Australian charity close to your heart, like the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation, head to Play For Purpose, buy a ticket and nominate your favourite cause.
Play For Purpose charity raffle tickets are just $10, so get behind the community cause closest to your heart for your chance to WIN a $250,000 first prize pack. For the latest raffle prizes, see playforpurpose.com.au.
If you’re an established ACNC registered charity looking to supercharge your fundraising, contact the Play For Purpose team to learn more about becoming a charity partner. Promoter is 50-50 Foundation Ltd. Entry open to Australian residents who are aged 18 years or older. See full T&Cs at playforpurpose.com.au.
Feature Image: Griffith University.