Rosie's Story
My name is Rosie formally known in my village in Fiji as the Monkey and Frog girl.
For seven long years I had endured daily torment from my peers. I was afraid to look at myself in the mirror. I was a very shy girl who wouldn’t have eye contact with anyone who came to talk to me because of my appearance. I had low self-esteem and would hide behind mum with my eyes glued to the ground trying to ignore that person in front of me.
Terribly disfigured from the fate of birth. My nose lay flat on my face, my eyes were two inches further apart than normal due to a Tessier cleft running through the front of my face and across my head. This caused my eyes to bulge.
My right arm was a small stump with grotesque looking “fingers” at the end. I kept a towel draped across that arm when in public to hide my shame.. My left arm of normal length had three fingers.
I hated going out in public and especially meeting new people. I lived in a country where I knew this was my lot for life. How was I going to cope? Attending a cripple/special school made me feel comfortable for the other children like me had disabilities including the deaf and blind. I remember one day after school my brother and I were waiting for our bus to go home when all of a sudden a group of people young and old surrounded us. What followed I found frightening. They kept staring, laughing and making faces at me. I wanted to get to the safety of home as soon as possible. Whenever we had to attend a special occasion such as a church function, I preferred to stay home. Rather than having people stare at me.
ROMAC
Being a ROMAC patient is a remarkable experience. For me it all began at 7pm October 27 1990. My mother was to embarrass me further when she suddenly announced that she was taking me to the Nadi Travel Lodge to meet some white men who said they could change my life and appearance.
I felt so ashamed and didn’t want to go. I hid behind mum pulling on her dress to hide.
At that time I met the legendary Rotarian ROMAC Founder Barrie Cooper with His team in my hometown in Nadi in Fiji.
This was to be the first time I had met people who actually cared. They didn’t appear to notice my disfigurement. All they wanted to do was help.
All I could remember from that night was a lot of cameras flashing non-stop in front of me. After that, I sat quietly with my Siblings while Mum and Barrie with his team discussed what could be done. Within a blink of an eye we were at the Airport bound for Australia. The reception that Mum and I received from the Australian people such as Rotarians, Hosties, Medical staff at Adelaide and Melbourne and the community was exceptional during my medical treatments in 1991, 1993, 1997 and 1998.
In March, 1991 I had my first operation at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital when it appeared as though my head was dismantled and rebuilt.
If I was to talk about ROMAC at the age of 8 years old, I would be saying negative comments because of the pain I had gone through, and yes I have lost count of the many operations I had during that timeline - it has hard for me to understand why I had to go through those medical procedures.
Although I had many operations I am now able to proclaim the work of ROMAC wherever I go and to express my gratitude for the decisions made, providing me the opportunity to have my life transformed.
ROMAC has meant so much in my life in so many ways; particularly by gaining confidence to socialize with the rest of the community. Moreover they have encouraged me to wear a prosthesis at the age of 8 years old till today for self-assurance and ROMAC has indeed stretched my horizons.
After the operations I returned home where I was able to attend normal schools (primary & high schools) with my siblings. At first it was hard to attend a school with children who didn’t have disabilities. I was still carrying the psychological scars from my old school. It felt like a marathon at first but nonetheless I received great support from teachers, classmates and my siblings.
In overcoming my shyness, I was able to attend church functions and socialize with people and even greater than that I didn’t receive any rude comments as I had before ROMAC entered my life.
I was able to participate in drama in front of audiences and got involved with community service as well and no more hiding behind mum. However there seemed no hope to gain employment in Fiji due to my disabilities.
I battled times of depression in those early years.
In 2001 I returned to Australia to join my father and in 2015 I received my Citizenship for which I am forever grateful to be part of this wonderful country.
I now live independently and have a job in Newcastle.
As a grown up woman I look back on the journey I had with ROMAC.
My acknowledgement of appreciation will always be shown while visiting a fellow ROMAC kid or visiting a Rotary club to elaborate what this great organization has done to my life and helping the forgotten/disadvantaged children and to restore dignity allowing them to live a normal live in our society and the people who are involved in these great organization are exceptionally wonderful people.
I thank Barrie Cooper, ROMAC, Rotarian, medical staffs in Adelaide, Melbourne and the Australian people for the love and generosity shown through the years
Thank you.
Rosie.
