Paralysed Father Of Five In Need Of Help
My kids are my pride and joy. They are the reason I wake up every morning with a positive attitude. Sometimes I am really discouraged, at times I thought it’ll be better if I just die so I don’t become a burden. But deep in my heart I feel that God still has something set out for me that’s why I am still around.
Saturday 13 February 2021 | 08:37
Filimoni Tadumailaucala with his youngest son, Isikeli Tadumailaucala at their Veisari Home in Lami on February 10, 2021. Photo: Ronald Kumar.
A father of five is in desperate need of help.
What was supposed to be a smooth trip from Suva to Sigatoka on May 30, 2018, changed Filimone Tadumailaucala’s life for the worst.
An accident along Maui Bay fractured his spinal cord which has paralysed him from his neck to his toe.
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“My senior old-boy Sikeli Qounadovu had posted about my plea on social media just a few days ago and ever since I have been receiving a lot of help from people I haven’t even met ever in my life,” an emotional Mr Tadumailaucala said.
“I can’t even express how grateful I really am to all individuals who have gone out of their way to help me,” he said.
“From groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables, beddings and adult diapers, I really am grateful.”
The 32-year-old with maternal links to Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu had a plan for his wife and five children.
“My girls are 10 and seven years old and my boys are four, three and two,” he said.
“Three of my kids are attending Chauhan Memorial School just opposite our house.”
He said his children are the only reason he has renewed hope every morning that one day everything would be alright.
“My kids are my pride and joy,” he said on his bed.
“They are the reason I wake up every morning with a positive attitude.
“Sometimes I am really discouraged, at times I thought it’ll be better if I just die so I don’t become a burden.
“But deep in my heart I feel that God still has something set out for me that’s why I am still around.”
Being a social welfare recipient, and getting help from NGOs like Sai Prema Foundation, Mr Tadumailaucala needs more to sustain him and his family. Once a month, with the help of his brothers-in-law, he is taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
His wife had left work in order to look after their children and life has not been easy for him and his family ever since.
Mr Tadumailaucala added that he was adamant that he would recover from his paralysis and be able to hug his children again.
“I know that one day I will be able to stand on my two feet again to be able to look after my children who are still growing up,” he said.
“Every morning I gather my children and we sit as a family to thank God for bringing us through alive to see another day.
“After school they come back to me and they tell me stories of how their day went.
“At times they come to me to seek help for their homework. My heart is always willing, but I just can’t get up to provide them the help they need.”
Mr Tadumailaucala and his family are currently renting a three-bedroom double-storey house in Veisari, Lami.
Anyone interested in helping the family could contact Mr Tadumailaucala’s wife on 9642776.
Feedback: inoke.rabonu@fijisun.com.fj
