Paula Rokotuiveikau Nabuta (Rocky)

Paula Rokotuiveikau Nabuta was first admitted to the hospital on the 29th of August, 2024, where he was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor. Since then, he has undergone a total of five cycles of chemotherapy—two cycles in 2024 and three more this year.

On Sunday, while at home, Paula began feeling extremely restless and in pain. He complained of a severe headache and body aches, repeatedly asking to be massaged to ease his discomfort. He couldn’t sleep due to the pain and kept saying how much everything hurt.

Later, they noticed a small speck of blood in his saliva, which alarmed family and prompted them to take him to the Emergency Department at Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital. When they arrived, he began bleeding more heavily from his mouth and nose. Despite everything, he kept saying he just wanted to sleep—to be put to sleep so he wouldn’t feel the pain anymore.

Although the hospital gave him pain relief, it didn’t last long. Even through all that pain, Paula saw his wife crying and tried to comfort her. He told his cousin how strong his wife is and reminded her that she had to stay strong, saying he just needed to sleep for a little bit.

Paula didn’t make it through the night and leaves behind his wife and 2 baby girls aged 3 and 5