Memorial of death anniversary of Ranjith Peiris
Memorial of death anniversary of Ranjith Peiris
Born 24th June 1959. Passed away 29th November 2016
ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
Day you went away
Today’s the anniversary
Of the day that we lost you,
And for a time it felt as through
Our lives had ended too.
But loss has taught us many things
And now we face each day,
With hope and happy memories
To help us our way.
And though we are full of sadness
That you’re no longer here,
Your influence still guide us
And we still feel you near.
What we shared will never die
It lives within our hearts,
Bringing strength and comfort
While we are apart.
Ever loving Ann (wife), Roshan (Son), Tania (Daughter), Dirk (Son-in-Law),
and Luna (Granddaughter)
THE AGE VICTORIATHE AGE VICTORIA
• NOVEMBER 25 2016
Melbourne man’s fight for life after ‘thunderstorm asthma’ strikes
As dark clouds and rain came in over his Roxburgh Park home on Monday the 21st evening, Ranjith Peiris went out to put the car undercover. By the time he was back inside, just minutes later, the 57-year-old grandfather was struggling to breathe.
Thunderstorm asthma: death toll rises to fourAt least four people have died after the sudden outbreak of “thunderstorm asthma”, prompting an investigation into the emergency response to the medical crisis that swept across Melbourne on Monday. Video courtesy of ABC News 24.
His wife, Ann, rushed him into the family room while their daughter, Tania, called for an ambulance. His son, Roshan, arrived home just before he blacked out.”I came in and I could tell Dad was really struggling,” Roshan told Fairfax Media on Friday. “He was sweating badly … He looked up at me and he was trying really hard to breathe.”
At exactly the same time that Ranjith’s airways were tightening, there was a massive surge in calls for ambulances for people with respiratory problems as the freak weather event, “thunderstorm asthma”, swept across Melbourne.
The Peiris family was told help was on the way, but said it took more than an hour for paramedics to arrive. By then, Roshan had rolled his Dad onto the floor and performed CPR while the operator gave instructions on speaker phone.
“He couldn’t take a breath in so I was breathing air into him as forcefully as I could, started compressions. He’d come back but then he’d go unresponsive, back to being unconscious, blue.”
Ranjith was put on life support on Monday night. He’s in intensive care at the Northern Hospital, one of five people still critical after the unprecedented storm.
Ranjith Peiris with his wifee. Photo: Supplied (18 Correll Way, Roxburgh Park VIC 3064)The Peiris family want to know why there was no warning about the severe impact of the weather change and have questions about the emergency response, including why they weren’t told about ambulance delays.
“We kept asking where the paramedics were and they kept saying they’re on the way,” Roshan said. “If we’d known how long it was going to take we would have … we have a medical centre two minutes up the road. I could have got him to the hospital in 20 minutes. Because they’re saying they’re coming, you just keep thinking they’re going to be two minutes.”
Ranjith Peiris with his one-year-old granddaughter. Photo: Supplied”How will the state react if there was a real disaster?”
The Health Department said 8500 people were treated in hospitals across the city as a result of Monday’s weather event. At one point, paramedics were being called to patients with respiratory problems every 4.5 seconds.
Despite a flood of calls for ambulances between 6.30pm and 7pm, there was no public alert about the unfolding emergency. Neither the Health Department nor Ambulance Victoria issued a media alert on Monday.
At 8.40pm, Ambulance Victoria tweeted about a rise in “breathing probs” due to weather. Ninety minutes later – almost four hours after the calls started – it tweeted about the “high demand” for ambulances.
On Friday, Ranjith had an MRI to determine the extent of brain damage. He’s breathing on his own, but still isn’t responsive. “We just don’t know at the moment,” Roshan said. “The doctor is thinking it’s really bad, but the neurologist is saying we need to give it more time.
“Mum just wants him back, she’s been saying if he goes she’s got no one. They’ve been married for 36 years.”
Ranjith Peiris became the eighth victim of last week’s thunderstorm asthma. Photo: suppliedThe family of Roxburgh Park man Ranjith Peiris who died at Northern Hospital on Tuesday, have questioned why they were not told to drive him to hospital given he waited more than an hour for an ambulance.”Mum just keeps saying, ‘if only they told me, If only I knew I would have brought you here earlier’, Mr Peiris’ son Roshan said on Tuesday.
