In August 2016 we brought you the heart-warming story of Pulei, who had been brought to Australia for complex surgery to remove a large tumour from her face.

Pulei has now recovered and is getting ready to return home to Tonga. Channel 7 have produced a follow-up story, which you can watch here.

Pulei was originally seen by an Interplast volunteer team that first saw her in Tonga. Her surgical needs were too complex to be performed by a visiting team, so we referred her to our friends at Children First, who brought her to Melbourne for the surgery.

The surgical team was led by one of our ongoing volunteers, Dr William Blake.

We’re so happy for Pulei, and very pleased to have been part of a broader team that helped to achieve a life-changing outcome for this young woman.