When doctors at Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital told her in 2024 that her four‑year‑old son had a brain tumour, Muaivuso mother Tavaita Rokoadi says her life and her family’s future were reshaped in an instant. Three years on, Rokoadi is still caring for her son, seven‑year‑old Tomasi Tulele of Waiqanake, who continues to battle the physical and social aftereffects of the diagnosis that first began with symptoms mistaken for a common illness.
Tomasi’s symptoms began with persistent vomiting and rapid weight loss, Rokoadi recalled, and she also noticed his eyes were sometimes crossed in the mornings. Emergency scans and procedures at CWM Hospital confirmed a brain tumour and doctors told the family surgery was required immediately. “We received that news on a Sunday; I was so emotional and I couldn’t stop myself from crying,” she said, describing the moment she asked doctors to show her the test results before she could accept the diagnosis.
The medical crisis has had profound consequences for the family beyond the hospital ward. Rokoadi resigned from her job to care for Tomasi full time, and her husband gave up work in Lautoka to move back and support the family in Suva. He has since found employment locally, but the loss of steady income and the demands of long‑term care have transformed their household. Rokoadi said community rumours and fatalistic attitudes toward cancer added to their burdens: “It didn’t help with the rumours and people saying that with cancer, people always end up dying.”
Tomasi’s recovery and development have been uneven. Once described by his mother as a “chubby baby,” he now struggles with ongoing weight loss and has withdrawn socially. Rokoadi said he rarely speaks or plays with friends and is sometimes teased at school for looking and behaving differently. Small comforts — eating oranges and grapes, watching his favourite cartoon Moana — have become important anchors for the boy and for the family as they navigate treatment and day‑to‑day life.
Support from the WOWS Kids Fiji Foundation has been pivotal in easing pressures on the household, Rokoadi said. The charity has provided essentials such as diapers, helped cover medication and transport to medical appointments, and offered counselling for both Tomasi and his mother. “They have helped us so much with essentials, medication, transportation and counselling for myself, and even diapers. I don’t know what I could have done without WOWS Kids,” she said, noting that counselling in particular has helped her cope with the emotional strain of caring for a child with cancer.
Rokoadi is urging other parents to act quickly if a child shows unusual symptoms. She emphasized that early medical attention — rather than home remedies or delayed consultations — can be critical. Throughout the ordeal Rokoadi says faith has sustained her: from the day of diagnosis to the present, she continues to stand by her son and to focus on giving him as normal a childhood as possible despite ongoing challenges.
The family’s situation highlights the broader strains faced by households in Fiji caring for children with serious illnesses: financial disruption, social stigma, and the need for sustained psychosocial and logistical support. For Tomasi and his mother, the combination of community aid, medical care and faith remains central as they continue a difficult, ongoing journey.
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