I am a Samoan woman from Pata Falelatai and Pesega, born and raised in West Auckland. I am a mother of six and a Nana to three beautiful grandchildren.

There was a time when my life felt like it was slipping away quietly. Late at night, after my children and grandchildren were asleep, I would lie awake with my hand against my chest, counting the uneven beats caused by uncontrolled diabetes.

Diabetes felt like a slow curse running through my veins. It stole my sight, my energy, and my joy. Every doctor’s appointment felt like a warning, spoken in numbers and timelines, as if my life was being measured down to the last moment.

The thought that broke me was imagining my children standing at my grave, and grandchildren who might only know me through faded photographs. That moment became my why.

After trying everything, I made the decision to undergo weight loss surgery in Turkey with Galya Health. It was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one. I chose life.

Two years after my surgery, my family faced another heartbreaking challenge when I tragically lost my husband. Through the pain and grief, my children and I kept going. We are still healing, still standing, and still moving forward together.

I never wanted to keep my story to myself. I knew there were others like me, carrying the weight of health struggles, life pressures, trauma, and exhaustion. I wanted to help people reclaim their lives, starting with their health.

Today, I guide others through the same hospital doors that once frightened me. I sit with them when they feel afraid. I translate medical language into words of family, hope, and future. I remind them that their life is not over, that they are not a burden, and that they deserve this chance.

In the quiet moments, I reflect on how far this journey has come. I am a Samoan woman who was once sick and tired, now helping others find the courage to save their own lives.

And sometimes, when the house is still, I whisper to my late husband,
“I made it. They still have their mother. They still have their Nana. I am still here.”