![]() Ms Vavataga said the retreat allowed cancer warriors to branch out and gain confidence. “For this retreat that is about to take place, we will have psychotherapist Selina Kuruleca who will speak on mental health, a registered councilor who will talk on emotional healing, and cancer survivor and retired health worker Jiu Tikoitoga who will speak on food and nutrition.” “Not being able to talk about these kinds of issues has always been a drawback in Fijian culture. She said the three-day retreat allowed for the women to express their feelings - feelings they have kept to themselves before, during and after cancer treatment. “I have also increased the number of survivors that I take with me, I first started with six but now I will be talking 15 women, this is excluding the corporate women.” Ms Vavataga organises two trips in a year, one in March and the second in September and this year will mark her third of hosting self-care retreats which will take place on March 20, 21 and 23 at Dreamview Villas, Rakiraki. That was my first retreat, and it was a success.” “I was able to get sponsors for the six women, but the corporate women paid for their own. “Because it was during COVID-19 the rates were quite cheap and so together with the six survivors, seven corporate women came as well to make the numbers. With the memorandum of understanding she has with the Fiji Cancer Society, she managed to get together a group of six breast cancer survivors and took them to Beqa Lagoon in 2021. Two months after their trip, Ms Vavataga did just that. It was during that moment where my brain started working and I thought “if I can bring Makelesi here then I can bring other women as well”. “Beqa Lagoon was closed that time because of COVID-19, so the three of us decided to go for a stroll. She said the trip allowed them to take a breather and appreciate life. ![]() “It was there during the trip with my girlfriends that I realised that cancer was a very sensitive issue, like you can’t just walk up to a cancer patient and say ‘oh so you’ve got cancer?’ What is it like to be a cancer patient? Because when that is done, they tend to withdraw and that’s what I saw.” “My granddaughter told me that there was a homestay in Beqa which was located right next to Beqa Lagoon, so Makelesi, Vitinia and I decided to go there. To get Makelesi’s mind off her illness, Ms Vavataga suggested they have a girl’s trip. “Makelesi is a hardworking lady, but we knew that once she learnt of her sickness, things would change.” “Our other friend, Vitinia, and I stuck by Makelesi throughout her journey and once she had the courage to get checked, we accompanied her. “Denial and silence are the first two stages people go through once they find out they have cancer and that was what my girlfriend Makelesi went through in 2021,” she said. The self-care retreat program was a safe space that was designed to allow cancer survivors to be the best version of themselves, and it was developed after taking into account the immediate response she had after hearing the news of her friend’s affliction. Mereane Vavataga decided to establish a Self-Care Retreat after one of her closest friends was diagnosed with breast cancer.
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