A tearful Tongan mother welcomed home the body of her son as he arrived last Tuesday with the first batch of Tongans repatriated from New Zealand.
Thirty-year-old Pafilio 'Amato died on 31 July after coming to New Zealand to seek medical treatment at Middlemore Hospital.
He himself had been a nurse at Vaiola Hospital.
Mother Silivia said in a Facebook live stream: "Pafi is home, thank you everyone from Auckland for everything. He is home and that’s all that matters.
“Although we were not allowed to see him, his presence was good enough.”
Tears streaming down, his father, Kelekolio Amato stood in silence outside the mortuary at Vaiola hospital.
Supileo said specialists at Middlemore found a second tumor on Pafilio’s spinal cord and was advised nothing could be done about it.
“The family was then advised that its a very risky operation, Buffy could die while operating.
"We thought its best to bring him home and spend the rest of his time with all of us.”
30 year old Pafilio underwent chemotherapy, was taking medicine medication and in a stable condition.
But Supileo said it was on his 30th birthday on 10 June , when his brother became paralysed and couldn’t move.
Supileo said it was a miracle he was able to move his left fingers a bit and kept saying he’s not ready to give up fighting.
“That’s why we tried so hard to put him in the repatriated flight to Tonga. Thinking of it, it's sad.”
Pafilio, better known among friends and families as ‘Buffy’, was kept at Vaiola hospital mortuary for 72 hours before his body was released to his family.
He was laid to rest on Saturday at Takaunove cemetery.