The life of Te Manga Herewini is a story of downfall and rebirth, struggle and victory. He could have remained in the chains of his past, but he chose a different path—to become a leader, change his fate, and inspire others.
He stole his first car at the age of 14, was expelled from school at 15 for selling marijuana, left home at 17, and ended up in prison at 20. In total, he spent 10 years behind bars. However, even prison was not the most difficult trial of his life—at the age of 21, he was diagnosed with cancer.
But just when it seemed that all hope was lost, a turning point occurred.
The Point of No Return
"I was literally dying in my cell," Herewini recalls. The disease progressed rapidly, metastases spread throughout his body, and surgery after surgery only worsened his physical condition. But the most terrifying part was realizing that for years, he had been destroying his own life, hurting not only himself but also those close to him.
When he was on the brink, he asked for help for the first time. "If You are there, get me out of this, and I will change," he prayed to God. At that moment, something changed. He felt relief, for the first time sensing that he had a chance to start over.
A New Path
From that moment, his transformation began. In prison, he started reading self-development books, searching for answers, changing his habits, and shifting his perspective on life.
"It was as if I regained my thirst for life and looked forward to the next part of my journey," he says.
After his release, he moved forward: he started his own construction business, got married, traveled across Europe, and has now been free and healthy for 16 years.
His goal now is to help young people who are on the same path he once was. Last year, he spoke to participants in a military vocational training program, sharing his story.
"You Can Change the Course of Your Life"
"Being a follower or a leader—it's your choice," says Herewini. He urges young people to think about what they want their future to look like and to remember that success is built on overcoming challenges.
"You should count all your achievements as successes, and that gives you motivation to keep going... because I think many people forget what they have accomplished, and then they get so caught up in all the information they're bombarded with nowadays that they don't actually realize how much they have to be grateful for instead of focusing on what they don't have."
Life always gives a chance, and the most important thing is to recognize it in time.