After a lifetime caring for others, it was Sereima’s turn to see clearly again.
For more than 60 years, Sereima dedicated her life to caring for others.
A nurse since 1961, she worked across the Pacific, including many years at Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM) in, Suva, Fiji. In the final chapter of her career, she supported patients at the eye clinic at CWM, back before it became the Pacific Eye Institute (PEI), assisting with sight restoring cataract surgeries.
Years later, it was Sereima who needed that same care.
A grandmother and great-grandmother, Sereima lives at home with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. Her daughter is a schoolteacher, and her granddaughter helps with the cooking and cleaning. It’s a busy household, but one filled with love and support.
Around four years ago, Sereima began to lose vision in her right eye due to cataract.
Reading became difficult. Sewing and crocheting, two of her favourite pastimes, were no longer possible. Even watching television was a challenge.
“I love reading, I love watching TV. I can’t do any sewing with my eyes. Machine and crocheting,” she said.
To read, she relied on her left eye, often closing the other completely.
“I have to close my right eye to be able to read. If I do that all the time, I might go cross-eyed!” she joked.
The narrow path from the road to her home had always been tricky, especially after rain. With reduced vision, it became dangerous. Despite walking it for more than 20 years, Sereima began staying home, unsure of her footing.
In June 2023, she arrived at PEI with her granddaughter, Nasiliani. It was her first visit to the new eye clinic.
“It’s much bigger than the old one,” she said, smiling as she recognised familiar faces among the staff she once worked alongside.
Sereima felt calm about the surgery. She had assisted with countless cataract procedures over the years and knew exactly what to expect.
“I’m not nervous at all,” she said before the operation. “I’ve seen it done so many times.”
The surgery was successful. When the bandage was removed the following day, the change was immediate. She could read the letters on the eye chart clearly, something she hadn’t been able to do for years.
But for Sereima, the most meaningful moment came when she returned home.
After a lifetime spent caring for others, Sereima can now see clearly again herself, get back out into the community, reconnect with her hobbies, and the simple joys she thought she had lost.
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