Tragedy to Triumph: Melenia Kaitaeifo was driven to medicine by a family tragedy and starts as a doctor at the hospital where her brother died

Melenia Kaitaeifo on the day of her graduation with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery from Otago Medical School 05 December 2024. Melenia was inspired to be a doctor by the death of her brother Senituli Siulua (inset) in 2008

• Dr Melenia Kaitaeifo pursued medicine after her brother’s death, driven by her family tragedy.
• She aims to improve health outcomes for Polynesians at Middlemore Hospital - the very hospital where her brother was taken off life support.
• Kaitaeifo credits her cultural identity and family support for her success and approach to medicine.

Melenia Kaitaeifo has turned a family tragedy into triumph and gained a unique insight into life and death medical decisions.

Last week Kaitaeifo graduated from Otago University with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

But in 2008, Kaitaeifo’s brother Senituli Siulua, was hit by a car as he was fleeing a fight in Papatoetoe. He died in Middlemore Hospital that day - the very hospital where the 25-year-old will start her new role as a doctor next month.

Senituli Siulua who died after being hit by a vehicle in 2008.

Spencer Purcell, was jailed for four years and 11 months for the manslaughter of Siulua - a tragedy that still haunts Kaitaeifo’s whānau to this day. Two others were given home detention for assault.

Kaitaeifo was just 8 years old when Siulua died aged 17, from what she now knows was a traumatic brain injury.

“My older brother’s passing was a huge tragedy for everyone who knew him. I wasn’t old enough to comprehend what had happened but what pushed me to pursue a career in medicine was curiosity. Why can’t we save him? Is there anything we can do to save him? What other options do we have? These questions played in my head like a broken record for years,” Kaitaeifo said.

She said like many Māori and Pasifika families, her family left Middlemore none the wiser after her parents made the tough decision to switch off their son’s life support system.

“My brother was a provider for my family and his death affected my parents for a long time,” she said.

“It still haunts them now.”

Kaitaeifo said looking back, there were some difficult discissions to be made and that has made her more determined to show a cultural compassion to Māori and Pasifika whānau..

“It must have been very difficult for my parents” she said. “I have grown to understand grieving families a lot better, having understood how they feel. Even just holding their hands and just be present.

“And because our Polynesian family structures are different, thereby our grieving will be different.

“Just having that cultural difference allows me a unique vantage.”

And she will have plenty of time to put theory that into practice at the country’s busiest hospital Middlemore.

“I am looking forward to starting and really excited.”

Kaitaeifo said medicine was always going to be her desired profession and wants to make the hospital experience better for Māori and Pacific patients and their families.

“I think my family just don’t like going into hospital or being treated in the healthcare system because they don’t comprehend everything. We all seem to have had poor experiences where healthcare is involved or in the way that we’ve perceived the interactions.”

It wasn’t until Kaitaeifo was at medical school that she fully understood what had happened to her brother, more than a decade earlier.

“I did all my own research and put together myself what actually had happened. I had to do it all myself because my family walked out of that hospital understanding nothing that the doctors had told them.

“It is a well-known fact that Pacific and Māori people have the worst health outcomes.

“There are a multitude of things that are contributing to this, and a lot of work is needed to help address and improve this and I am so excited to finally join the team and help improve those outcomes,” she says.

Kaitaeifo’s cultural identity shaped her approach to work alongside patients every day, she says.

“I show up as myself, a young Tongan health professional and the way I practice medicine and interact with patients is secondary to my cultural identity. It’s in the way I introduce myself, that I am respectful to the people I interact with, in the way I am able to read body language appropriately.

“Being a community-driven person means that I am able to provide holistic care always and have strong communication skills as well as being culturally competent.”

On one occasion she was able to translate for a man who was admitted to hospital. She believes her Tongan presence made his experience more bearable.

“He just kept saying like, malo, malo (thank you) and he just seemed grateful like the whole time. And because he was able to talk to me about everything, he felt more comfortable to ask me questions,” she says.

“I grew up in a household that instilled in us the importance of God being at the centre of everything we do, and secondly, the importance of education. I grew up in a family that was community focused, continually serving others and helping people.

“I would say it is in the scaffolding of my life that has led me to where I am today, and I am forever proud to be a young Tongan female doctor that will finally be able to give back to my people and my family.”

All her “defining moments” during her time at Otago have involved Pacific patients.

“The most beautiful thing is when you see patients progressively get better and can be discharged home. Those are moments that solidify my passion for medicine.”

But she would not have been able to achieve any of this without her faith and the support of her family, she says.

Melenia Kaitaeifo (middle) pictured with her parents who are all smiles celebrating their daughter’s achievement at medical school.

“My family support has been 100,000% on. Every step of the way I have been blessed with continuous family support.”

“Family support looked like paid bills when I couldn’t cover them. It looked like mum flying to Dunedin every exam season so that I could have home-cooked meals and clean laundry. It looked like cousin hangouts to unwind from all the uni stress. It looked like free flights home during Covid. The best support was the continuous protection through prayer from the get-go.”

“I am indebted to my biggest cheerleader, my sister. She took on all the responsibilities that an older sibling should just so I could execute our vision. So, I plan to spend as much time as I can with my family to make up for my years of absence!

“I have family coming from Tonga, Australia and America and from around New Zealand and I can’t wait to celebrate with them and laugh our way into 2025.”

Melenia has words of advice for any Pacific students considering medicine.

“Don’t be discouraged to step into this space, particularly if you’re like me and will be the first in your family. It can be daunting but embrace your unique qualities as a Pacific person and bring it to the table.

“You are needed and wanted. You have the ability to make a huge impact and influence change. You can be a leader and healer that will uplift and bring hope to our people. We’re all rooting for you.”

Additional reporting Otago University News.