From Heartbreak to Healing: Rotuman Student Turns Tragedy into Purpose

 Written by Tevita Lagilagi


At just 22 years old, Helava Gabriel has already lived through a kind of heartbreak many her age are still too young to understand. The Rotuman-born student, now studying at the University of the South Pacific, is quietly building a future shaped by pain, healing, and resilience.

Helava was still in high school when she fell in love, young, hopeful, and unaware of how suddenly life can change. That relationship, which had become the core of her teenage years, came to a devastating end when her boyfriend passed away unexpectedly in their final year.

What followed was a year of silence, confusion, and mourning. “I didn’t just lose him, I lost myself for a while,” she shares. It took months of counselling, support from her family, and deep personal work for Helava to begin seeing light again.

Now at university, she’s redirected her energy into education, community work, and youth mental health advocacy. “Grief doesn’t disappear, but it can shape you,” she says. “I want to help others feel less alone in their dark moments.”

Helava’s story is not just one of loss, it’s one of strength, of rising again, and of using pain as a platform to inspire others.



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