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Will I ever be beautiful again? – Frysna Rimoni asks in her Victims Impact Report

Peter Tulaga wearing a white siglet
Source: Talamua Online
“It is a constant reminder of the near death experience that I endured. I often wonder what I look like. Will I ever be beautiful again?” – Frysna Rimoni

Apia, SAMOA — The man who shot his 34 year old girlfriend on the face at close range, disfiguring her for life, was jailed this week for 28 years for attempted murder.

Peter Tulaga, 35 years old, left the court immediately, while his sister and family members waited to say goodbye.

In court, the victim Frysna Rimoni’s sister, Sarona Rimoni Ponifasio read out the Victim’s Impact Report.

“It has been almost 6 months since the brutality of 15 January 2019, when the defendant shot me in the face, and changed my life completely.

“On Monday, 27 May 2019, I was discharged from Middlemore Hospital after being hospitalized for nearly 5 months. I now face the reality of living as a blind person. I wake up in darkness everyday unable to know the time.

“I am breathing through my mouth. Due to my mouth being open all the time, there is foul odour coming from my mouth which is embarrassing. I have to constantly spray my mouth with medication, because it gets dry.

“There is also a constant discharge from my nose that I cannot feel. I have to be told to wipe my nose.

“My loss of smell has affected my appetite, that I have lost more than 10 kgs. Every day I run my fingers through the long scar on the left side of my face. It is a deep scar that runs from my left eye, which touches my nose and extends to the left side of my lips.

“Just a few weeks ago before I left the hospital, I have had to insert a coil inside my uterus to stop my menstrual cycles. It dawned on me that aside from the little things, I cannot manage on my own. I have to be told that my sanitary pad is stained. I am unable to care for myself, and anyone else. It is unlikely that I will ever experience motherhood. It breaks my heart.

“All the dreams and plans I had back in Samoa came to a sudden hold, as I am now living in New Zealand due to my prolonged treatments, and the support that I need given my permanent disabilities.

“I think of my elderly parents in their 70s and I can imagine their disappointment, as this is not what they had intended for me. My mother is now living with me in New Zealand to care for me, and my father is travelling back and forth.

“At my weakest moments, I cry out to the Lord and ask Him why He let me live? I know it was the mere intervention of the Lord, miracle after miracle, and by the grace of God, that led me to this day, to tell my story.

“I have permanent physical disabilities that I have to live with for the rest of my life. My left eye has been removed. My right eye has no sight. I breathe through my mouth, and I cannot smell. At this time, I rely on a diet of puree and soft foods due to my dislocated upper jaw. I have shattered dreams of ever being a mother and my career back in Samoa.

Read more at Talamua Online