KAPA`A – Residents and clients of the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital long-term care unit sat quietly along the eaved corridors facing the central courtyard of the hospital. Others enjoyed the cool quietness of the setting sun, their bodies shielded against
KAPA`A – Residents and clients of the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital
long-term care unit sat quietly along the eaved corridors facing the central
courtyard of the hospital. Others enjoyed the cool quietness of the setting
sun, their bodies shielded against the nippy breeze that wafted up from Kealia
Bay.
For the seventh year, Josie Pablo and her army of volunteers did what
no other hospital has done. Instead of trying to battle the logistics of
transporting 50 or 60 of the hospital’s residents to the bon dances, Pablo and
her volunteer corps brought the bon dance to them.
Family members flanked
their relatives, some helping the residents with meals, others enjoying a quiet
moment to themselves, while in the center of a roped-off area, taiko drumers
readied their percussion instruments.
Strings of lantern-clad lights
splashed color into the graying light of the fading sunset as kimono and
yukata-clad dancers finished off their meals, waiting for the music to
begin.
As the music beckoned the dancers into the dance ring, elderly
residents kept time to the music, smiles lighting up their faces. One of the
hospital’s staff members chaperoning a wheelchaired client mimicked the
dancers’ movements.
George Mukai of the Mahelona Hospital Auxiliary beamed
as he watched the dancers in the ring. He was especially proud of Beth
Donaldson of the Kapa`a United Church of Christ who, clad in a red yukata,
followed the dancers’ steps and motions.
“We have a lot of members
here,” Mukai explained, “so the minister comes. It gives us plenty
fight to come and help.”
“There are two ministers in
there,” a spectator added.
Rev. Junyo Kudo of the Kapa`a Jodo Mission
was also in the ranks of the dancers, as were members of the Kapa`a Honganji
Mission and a trio of girls who lived across the road from the hospital and
brought their friends, who were visiting from Santa Cruz, Calif.
“I’m
not dancing,” announced a visitor as the three youngsters eagerly left
their bench seats to find a spot in the dancers’ ring.
“Nobody else
does this,” the spectator explained. “No other hospital has a bon
dance. Normally, they do this at the start of the season, but this year, they
changed it to after the last bon dance.
“But, they do all kinds of
stuff. They have a petting zoo, they take the clients fishing, they go out to
look at lights during Christmas.”
The clients were scheduled for an
end-of-summer outing at Lydgate Park. Also on the calendar is a big birthday
celebration for one of the patients, Mrs. Yoshi Minami, who will celebrate her
107th birthday in November.
Within the shelter of the eaves, one of the
corridors emanated the aroma of traditional bon dance food offerings. The smell
mingled with the Japanese music, the sound of taiko drums and the color of
kimono and lanterns.
Mukai explained that no one gets overtime for doing
this duty of love. Auxiliary members work alongside staff members, many of whom
stay on following their shifts to help cook the pronto pups, man the chili
pots, prepare the saimin and dispense the helpings of andagi, cold drinks and
other celebratory foods.
As the warm smiles of the patients lit up the
descending night, Pablo and Mukai agreed the work is for the
patients.
Staff photographer Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at
245-3681 (ext. 253).
