Fiso had big impact despite his short life

5 fiso tanuvasa2

by PETER GRACE
AUCKLAND — In November 2012, Fiso Tanuvasa, a former prefect at Marcellin College in Auckland, was a 22-year-old man enjoying
life. He was the manager of a Barkers store in Dressmart, was into sport and gym training, had a new girlfriend he adored, had
bought a new car and was loving life.
Fiso went out to play a game of rugby and broke his right femur. Two weeks later he found out he had cancer. He went through
two to three months of chemotherapy and, in March 2013, his leg was amputated.
Fiso finished chemotherapy in June 2013.However, it was found that the cancer had returned and spread into his lungs.
But Marcellin College year 8 dean Vinod Mudali told NZ Catholic that after Fiso became unable to work, he returned for a while to
help out at his old school.
He had taught Fiso in years seven and eight and kept in touch after his former student left school.
The cancer weakened Fiso’s bone so that his leg snapped quite easily. Before the cancer was so brutally revealed, he had complained for a long time of pain, Mr Mudali said.
“It was put down to all sorts of things.”
As a student, Fiso enjoyed being in class and he was always happy, Mr Mudali said. The two of them often enjoyed sharing humour and jokes.
“Even in the week he died, we had a big laugh.”
After the cancer was diagnosed, Fiso came to college and saw him, Mr Mudali said, saying he wasn’t working any more and was a bit
bored. “So I said, ‘Come back and help me’.”
So Fiso came to college every day for several weeks, where he would report to his friend. “I would give him a group of students
to work with . . . and he became a mentor to them.”
In the end the increasing extent of pain made it impossible for him to continue. However, Mr Mudali said, he continued to keep in
touch, visiting Fiso every week. He also tried to help Fiso’s family, by doing shopping, for example, as Fiso’s mother was with him much of the time.
Fiso said that he was afraid of the unknown, which was the act of dying, but he wasn’t afraid of the time after, as he knew that
God would be welcoming him home.
Fiso died on January 14 at the Mercy Hospice in Auckland.
The celebrant at his requiem Mass was Franciscan Father Bernie Thomas. About 600 people attended the vigil, including all his
Marcellin College classmates who were in New Zealand at the time.
The funeral was held at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Onehunga.
Fiso Tanuvasa, May 26, 1991-January 14, 2014. May he rest in peace.

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