ROSETTE Andrews Singh has only two per cent kidney function.
Despite this, the 56-year-old grandmother remains a familiar face at the Korovou market, where she has been selling grog and fresh produce for the past 20 years.
She understands the seriousness of her health condition, but her spirit remains unshaken.
Not even the worst of days can put her down.
“I usually go for my dialysis and then I’m back in the market,” she said.
“I’ve been a kidney patient for about three years now, but I’ve continued being a vendor. I find it difficult to just stay home.”
Originally from Kasavu, outside Savusavu Town, Rosette moved to Korovou after marriage.
She attended Gospel High School and entered the workforce soon after.
She married young and had five children, including an only son. Three of her four daughters reside in New Zealand.
Before becoming a market vendor, she spent 18 years with Morris Hedstrom (Carpenters Fiji Limited), working her way up from a cashier at MH Foodhall in the 90s to branch manager in Korovou.
She eventually resigned to care for her grandchild, later returning to work as a vendor.
Her life took a drastic turn three years ago.
“I didn’t know that I was sick. For a whole week I wasn’t feeling well,” she said.
“My face and body began to swell, and I was vomiting.”
After initial checks at Korovou Hospital failed to provide a diagnosis, she visited a private doctor.
The results were alarming — her blood pressure had reached 245, and her kidneys were failing.
“I was really shocked when I was told I had only two per cent kidney function,” she said.
She was admitted to CWM Hospital for three weeks. When doctors advised she needed a transplant, her husband offered to donate his kidney.
But Rosette refused, choosing instead to place her fate in God’s hands.
“I said, if God allowed me to get this sickness, I have to accept it,” she said.
“Whatever I face in life is from Him.”
She now undergoes dialysis treatment, which she began in January 2023.
The Government pays two-thirds of the cost, and her five children help cover the remainder.
“It’s hard — going to the hospital every day. Sometimes we don’t expect things like this to happen to us, but we accept God’s plans,” she said.
To put food on the table, she does her best to maximise sales from Monday to Thursday, when there is less competition in the market.
“Every Friday and Saturday, farmers from nearby villages sell their produce outside the market, so we try to maximise sales before they come.”
Money from her small business helped raise her children and put them through school.
“My husband and I struggled to bring up our five kids, but we made sure they went to school and had an education.
“Now our children are helping us.”
With the festive season approaching, Rosette is urging the public to take their diet seriously.
She says mothers need to look after their health because if they get sick the family breaks down.
“There’s a lot of sickness around us like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, a nd in this hot weather, the best thing we can do is be careful about what we eat,” she said.
“Sometimes I just live on fruits. My kids are very concerned about my health and they keep a watch on my diet.
“If you love your family, remember to take care of your health, it’s the best gift you can give them.”
Rosette’s story is one of hope.
Despite facing a life-threatening illness, she continues to work, provide for her family.
She inspires those around her with her unwavering faith.Her story is a stark reminder that strength is not the absence of struggle but the courage to keep pushing through even in the hardest of journeys.
