Rokovi Strong

I’ve known Lexi and Jim Tupua since September 2018. We met at church and Lexi became one of my best friends. Lexi and Jim welcomed their first child, Rokovi Tupua, on August 4, 2019. He has always been a sweet, calm boy. When Rokovi was 7 months old he was diagnosed with Congenital Toxoplasmosis, a rare condition which causes serious motor, visual, and cognitive development issues. Rokovi is partially blind and has already undergone 2 brain surgeries and will likely have more surgeries in the near future. Lexi and Jim have already spent weeks in the hospital for testing, surgery and recovery. Lexi takes Rokovi in for blood work once a week and continues to do regular physical therapy. Rokovi requires constant attention and Lexi is not able to go back to work. 

 There is only one medical expert in Congential Toxoplasmosis in the United States and she is located in Chicago. Lexi speaks with this specialist often and the specialist is urging them to bring Rokovi to Chicago, so she can inspect him herself and determine what additional surgeries and treatments he needs. Lexi and Jim need our help, so they can afford to travel with Rokovi to Chicago to be seen by this specialist! Your donation to the go fund me account linked below, will allow Jim and Lexi to pay for testing, consultations, travel, and lodging as Rokovi has extensive treatment. Lexi wrote a more thorough summary of the diagnosis below. Please consider donating to help sweet Rokovi get the care he needs! 






Hi we are the Tupua’s. My husband is from Fiji and I am from Utah. We met at BYU-Hawaii and we live in Virginia now. We have the sweetest 11 month old son, Rokovi. Rokovi means respect in Fijian. We have had a trying and emotional few months and not just because of COVID-19. Our sweet baby Rokovi has been through a lot. In March Rokovi had an eye appointment and we found out he has rental scaring in both eyes and will never be able to see fully. The eye doctor said it could be from congenital toxoplasmosis. (I know....what is that!?) We saw specialist doctors and with bloodwork, it was confirmed congenital toxoplasmosis. It is pretty much a parasite that I somehow got while I was pregnant (if you are googling this...no I was not around cat’s while pregnant), and it affects major organs in babies like the eyes and brain.




In April Rokovi got his first shunt. We went just for an MRI and it turned into a week hospital stay. The MRI showed lots of fluid in the brain so they transferred us to Children’s National Medical Hospital in DC to have brain surgery to put the shunt in. The shunt he will have forever, and it will drain the fluid from his brain to his stomach to be absorbed. 




Unfortunately two and a half months later the shunt stopped working. Fluid started building up around the shunt so we went to the emergency room. The next day they did brain surgery again and put a whole new shunt in. Then, sadly just days after the new shunt we saw fluid again and ended up back in the hospital for another week. 




It’s has been quite a journey and it is just the beginning. Rokovi is on three medications for the toxoplasmosis. He has weekly blood work and physical therapy. He is very delayed in his fine and gross motor skills, but we have faith he will catch up! Congenital toxoplasmosis is such a rare disease. There is a doctor in Chicago who is internationally recognized for her expertise and extensive research in toxoplasmosis. She is the only one in the United States that specializes in Rokovi’s condition. Our goal is to have Rokovi seen by her!




#RokoviStrong