A poignant note from the boyfriend of Sandali from Ruhunu University, who succumbed to the dengue menace.

A tragic news story from Matara, Deniyaya area reports the untimely demise of a bright student from Ruhunu University, who fell victim to the terrifying dengue menace that is rapidly raising its head day by day. The unfortunate student who lost her life is Miss Sandali Tharaka Vithanage from Hikkaduwa, a 23-year-old who was studying at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Ruhunu University.

The sudden departure of this young woman, who was striving to build a beautiful future of her own after realizing her university dream, has deeply shocked the entire university community. Representing the 46th batch of the university, she was also a talented and active member of its dance troupe.

The last series of messages she sent to her friends via WhatsApp while she was ill with fever has now brought tears to many eyes. She first said, "I got dengue and came home, won't be able to come to the dance, sorry." After that, the note she left from her sickbed to her group of friends, "If I don't die, I'll come to see you, friends," would be her last message, which no one would have imagined even in a dream. That emotional sentence, as if she had sensed the shadows of death beforehand, has deeply stirred the hearts of university students.

Student Sandali Tharaka was staying in a hostel near the university for her exams, and when her parents learned that several other students there had contracted dengue, they immediately asked her to come home. However, fearing she would miss her exam, she stayed there, saying, "Oh mother, I have an exam, how can I come?" Later, when she developed a severe fever, her father immediately went and brought her home that very night. Her mother, a professional nurse working at Deniyaya Base Hospital, tearfully stated that even though she was a nurse who healed patients, she could not save her daughter's life despite sitting by her side and providing the utmost care. Admitted to Deniyaya Hospital on the 18th, she was transferred to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle on the 22nd for further treatment after her condition worsened, and she breathed her last on the 23rd while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. According to medical reports, the cause of death was multi-organ failure due to dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Sandali's boyfriend, Shanika S. Prasad, shared a note on social media that is heartbreaking for anyone who sees it, unable to bear her unexpected departure.

 "My darling... may you attain Nibbana. Although nothing could stop your journey, this disease called dengue was able to make you leave all of us today."

 He states that her family and friends did their utmost for her, and everyone will always love her. Shanika says that this separation has not only deprived him of his girlfriend but also the joy, comfort, and strength of his life, and this void will remain in their hearts as long as life exists. 

"If not in this life, our dreams will come true in the next... My precious, stay safe until then, may the blessings of the Buddha be with you... No one can fill this void... I will always love you, darling..." 

Many people express their sorrow upon seeing his loving yet painful note.

Due to her untimely demise, the entire university community, as well as her closest friends, are deeply shocked, and they pray that such untimely deaths do not occur in future lives. This unfortunate departure once again clearly highlights the terrifying dengue epidemic currently prevalent in the country. According to the latest statistics from the National Dengue Control Unit and the Epidemiology Unit, nearly 48,000 dengue patients have been reported across the island in the period elapsed this year alone. There is an urgent need to swiftly implement a systematic cleaning and control program centered around all university premises and the general environment, without waiting for another valuable young life to fall victim to dengue.