Seven years ago, some residents and staff members of Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital received news they did not want to hear.
They were diagnosed with cancer.
“We almost lost her,” said Elaine Pingue of California, who joined her sister, Melody Pascual, at the 7th annual SMMH Breast Cancer Walk Friday at Ke Ala Hele Makalae near the Kapaa Neighborhood Center.
“This is the first time I’m doing this walk with Melody. Normally, I’m here to celebrate her birthday in May. This year, I could re-arrange my conference schedule so I could actually do the walk with her,” Pingue said.
Several hundred people, including residents and staff from Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, braved the wind and threatening weather to take to the multi-use path to spread awareness, celebrate survivorship, and honor people living with cancer.
“Sadly, we all know someone — a mother, a sister, a friend, a neighbor — who has been stricken by this disease,” said Josie Pablo, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Kauai Region recreational director.
“It was seven years ago that we came together for our very first walk in an effort to honor the courage and faith of our beloved friends — Mrs. Elaine Morita and Melody Pascual. Elaine is looking down on us. Did you see how the rains let up just before we started? And Melody, we commend you for living life to the fullest.”
The event drew a crowd, including people who were helping others working for a bigger cause.
“This is family,” Pingue said. “It is not like when we were on Oahu for treatment. There is compassion and kindness, but here, it’s more. We have heart. This is real family.”
Kapaa High School figured prominently in the walk, as its National Honor Society and the Interact Club went out after the last remaining drops of rain to decorate the course that spanned to the Kapaa Beach Park comfort station, the Warrior Marching Band heralding the group, and the JROTC units providing the protocol as well as honor guard and assist in pushing the wheelchair-bound residents.
And like the staff whose retired members turned out to help, so did the alumni of the Kapaa High School Class of 1965, led by the efforts of Wilma Chandler.
Ho‘ola Lahui Hawaii offered not just Anna Velasco warming up the group with Zumba, but also Marla Silva and the Hawaii hula class providing entertainment that triggered a lot of smartphones along the walk route, much to the delight of people lining lanai at the Coral Reef Resort.
Community supporters included the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort &Spa with its contribution of cookies, the Safeway stores for contributing pink roses for all, including specially bundled roses for cancer survivors, Esaki Produce giving bananas that provided the lift for residents following the walk, Emmsley and Kaylin Drake for warming up the morning with the fire-knife routine, and Kimberly Hope for smoothing out the edges with her violin.
The Kauai Divas &Dude, Deja Vu Surf Hawaii, state Department of Human Services Adult Protective Services, Grove Farm Company, and a number of individuals stepped up to wheel residents, and Patti Ornellas of the American Cancer Society arrived with her group of volunteers to dispense information on cancer.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
