ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"Everybody happy dance!","type":"text"}]

I Stock 1146983674

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"</title>

Kveekz on Instagram is today's social media find, celebrating some pleasant surprises.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Business & Tourism

Flights to and from Honolulu could be reduced as the Federal Aviation Administration plans to reduce air traffic by 10%.

, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced Wednesday that the FAA will cut back on flights across 40 “high-volume” markets to pre-empt potential safety concerns as the federal government shutdown has left air traffic controllers without pay for more than a month.

The Associated Press reported that the month and increasingly short staff has put pressure on air traffic controllers, many of whom have called out of work, causing further staffing shortages. This has led to a range of major flight delays across several mainland airports, where the FAA warned flights could be delayed by up to seven hours from Wednesday into Thursday.

Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Alex Da Silva told Aloha State Daily last week that it had seen “no impacts to [their] operations” related to the ongoing shutdown.

The cuts will begin on Friday. The specific airports selected for the cuts have not yet been announced, and Bedford said a list of impacted airports will be released Thursday.  

, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport had the 22nd-most aircraft movements in the U.S. last year, with 334,695 aircraft flying in or out of the airport in 2024. It ranked 32nd in total commercial passengers — nearly 22 million last year — and 14th in cargo, with more than 600,000 metric tons of cargo moving through the airport in 2024.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Honolulu airport

<title>FAA warns of cuts to flights as shutdown continues</title>

Flights to and from 40 unspecified "high-volume" markets coming this Friday, warns the FAA.

FAA warns of cuts to flights as shutdown continues

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 recently opened in Waikīkī Shopping Plaza. Located along Seaside Avenue, the new 100-seat, 3,500-square-foot eatery specializes in Italian fare with a hint of island- and Mediterranean-inspired flavors.

This restaurant is the latest concept from restaurant group Zetton Inc., the brand behind eateries like Aloha Steak House, Camado Ramen Tavern, Heavenly Island Lifestyle Waikīkī and ZIGU.

“We are creating a new concept restaurant that captures the soul of Italian cuisine, but imparts innovative infusions to differentiate ourselves from the other Italian restaurants in town,” states Makoko “MILD” Hasegawa, president and CEO of Zetton Inc. “Whether it be for a casual pau hana drink with pūpū or a festive dinner party with friends and family, we hope to serve as a comforting retreat from the hustle and bustle of Waikīkī.”

The restaurant’s executive chef Yuta Tamano is classically trained in French cuisine, but collaborates with chefs specializing in Italian fare. Tamano, trained in the culinary arts in Japan, refined his skills at acclaimed French restaurant Le Grand Table Kitamura and the two-Michelin-starred Narisawa. Tamano moved to Waikīkī in 2021 and served as sous chef at natuRe Waikīkī, and became executive chef at ZIGU last year.

At BOTANICO Waikīkī, diners can anticipate elevated Italian staples along with unique dishes.

Appetizers include a re-imagined moussaka with layers of braised beef, scalloped potatoes, roasted eggplant and sauce Mornay ($16); beet and cauliflower hummus ($14); a shareable charcuterie spread ($32); prosciutto zeppole ($16), or fluffy fried Italian dough bites topped with prosciutto; and local vegetable terrine in a dashi gelee ($18).

The charcuterie board ($32) comprises prosciutto, mortadella, salami, piccante, chicken liver mousse and brie cheese, served with housemade focaccia.

Entrees range from pastas to dishes starring meats and seafood. Signature pastas include house bolognese ($28), carbonara with housemade pancetta ($28), and spaghetti Pescatore ($35). The latter features a classic seafood spaghetti with clams, scallops and shrimp in a tomato anchovy fennel sauce.

You can look forward to entrées like the flavorful red wine-braised beef cheek ($48), pork Milanese with original katsu balsamic glaze ($39), ocean grill plate ($48) and chef's steak of the day (market price). The latter features a hand-selected cut, grilled asparagus, local oyster mushroom, Swiss chard and aligot potatoes with peppercorn sauce. 

Desserts include tiramisu ($12) and basque cheesecake ($10). The classic tiramisu features espresso-soaked ladyfingers with cocoa and mascarpone; meanwhile, the caramelized basque cheesecake is served with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. 

The restaurant’s beverage program features a diverse selection of wines, with a focus on Californian and Italian varietals. BOTANICO Waikīkī’s staff, trained by master sommelier Roberto Viernes, are able to help customers with recommendations and pairings to complement their meals.

[{"type":"text","text":"Customer parking is available at Waikīkī Shopping Plaza."}]

Open 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. (last order 10 p.m.) Sundays-Saturdays

BOTANICO Waikiki bolognese 110325

<title>Waikīkī’s newest Italian restaurant just opened</title>

Located in Waikīkī Shopping Plaza, BOTANICO Waikīkī features Italian fare with a touch of island- and Mediterranean-inspired flavors.

Waikīkī’s newest Italian restaurant just opened

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Located about two miles from Downtown Honolulu, the neighborhood of Mo‘ili‘ili was once primarily agricultural. Rice paddies and lo‘i kalo occupied most of the land, with houses and small businesses scattered about. By the 1960s, apartment buildings, grocery stores, and small shopping centers attracted more people seeking a quieter life while still wanting to remain close to Honolulu. The Mo‘ili‘ili community was tightly knit and soon became known as the floral capital of Honolulu as demand for lei and daily flower bouquets grew.

One gathering place for the Mo‘ili‘ili community was the Kamo‘ili‘ili Church, whose congregation was predominantly Hawaiian. Construction for the simple stone church began in 1850 and was completed three years later. Although the building was restored around 1900 and renamed Rice Memorial Chapel, many in the community continued to call it Kamo‘ili‘ili Church.

In addition to Sunday services, the hallowed building saw weddings, funerals, celebrations, and community meetings throughout its life. For a time, it even served as a Masonic hall to the Cosmopolitan Lodge of the Prince Hall Lodge of African American Freemasons in Hawaii.

A woman I know recalls time spent there as a child, waiting for her parents. With no babysitter at the time, she would have to stay in a small room by herself, where she was left to play, color, or find something else to keep herself busy. In a separate room, her father and the rest of his Prince Hall brothers would have their lodge meetings. In another room was her mother, who would attend the meetings of the Order of the Eastern Star with the other wives of Masonic husbands.

One evening, as a girl, she noticed a Hawaiian man looking in the window from outside. He had dark hair and a beard, thick eyebrows and full lips, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The man’s intense gaze was frightening as he pointed to the screen covering the window, indicating that he wanted her to open it. Without speaking, she shook her head, “No.”

Despite her refusal to cooperate, the hook holding the screen popped off on its own, and the man pulled the screen back. My friend said she remembers hearing a blood-curdling scream before realizing it was coming from her. She ran into the men’s lodge meeting and found the masons in a state of upset and confusion. They had apparently seen a Hawaiian man peering in at them from a window high up on the far wall. No outsider could bear witness to a solemn masonic ceremony, so the men went outside to chase the stranger away. They never found anyone hanging around outside, but did note that the window he peered into was nine feet off the ground with no crate, stone, or foothold to climb on.

As time marched on, the church fell into disuse and then disrepair, and was condemned by the city. While the building sat empty, the graveyard, too, had gone untended. In 1968, plans for a new high-rise were announced, and the land beneath the century-old cemetery was chosen for development. Newspapers cited weeds covering gravestones, some of which were broken or leaning awkwardly. Trash had gathered near several plots, more than one tomb was cracked and crumbling, and several markers had already disappeared.

Although the last burial was in the 1950s, letters to newspapers expressed mourning for the loss of history and lament for the irreversible change. One writer posed a warning to other congregations that they may not be exempt from such bittersweet progress in the future.

Work to remove gravestones began in August 1968. Reverend Abraham Akaka of Kawaiaha‘o Church acknowledged the tension between history and progress. He reminded those gathered that every civilization advances by giving up some of its past, saying that growth often demands “selling something of the soul.”

Over the following weeks, workers uncovered the remains of 466 people. Of those remains, 206 were identified, while the rest will forever be unknown. Some graves held the bones of parents and children, while others contained only ashes. The remains were placed in small containers and reburied at Kawaiahaʻo Church in a shared resting place marked by a plaque listing the known names. Above the memorial hangs the bell that once rang from the steeple at Kamoʻiliʻili Church.

[{"type":"text","text":"But that wasn’t the end of it."}]

In November, Reverend Akaka returned to the site to perform special purification rites. The special blessing was requested because workers were reluctant to enter the area. Using an ‘umeke, a Hawaiian calabash, dating back to the days of Kamehameha I, the Reverend sprinkled the ground with water from the well at Kawaiaha‘o Church while reciting his prayers. It is rumored that more bones were found during construction, including one skeleton measuring nearly nine feet long, near what is now the pool area.

Completed in 1971, the Contessa condominium stands on the old church and cemetery grounds. It boasts 37 floors, 144 units, a sauna, and a swimming pool in the vibrant Mo‘ili‘ili neighborhood. Almost from the beginning, tenants complained of hauntings in the building. One woman enlisted the help of Kahuna nui Emma de Fries to bless her apartment and the entire building after constant construction noise bothered her, even when no one else could hear it. 

More than two decades later, my mentor, Glen Grant, shared another story about the Contessa. A plumber was called to an apartment to fix a kitchen drain. The woman who lived there told him to put his ear to the sink. Although he was hesitant, he crouched and listened and heard voices speaking Hawaiian.

“They’re asking what will be done with their bones,” he said, backing away.

He hurried to the elevator and watched in shock as the doors opened before he touched the button. He stepped in and, as the doors began to close, a hand covered with red mud slid between them, opening them again automatically. Standing there was a tall woman, her body caked in red clay. She smiled and waved as the doors shut once more.

Without warning, the elevator dropped several floors before coming to a sudden stop. Shaken, the plumber took the stairs and never returned to the building.

For more than 50 years, people have passed through the Contessa’s lobby unaware of the hundreds of people that were once buried beneath their feet, and what may still be waiting below the surface.

Before the gates to Kawaiahaʻo Church’s graveyard were locked to the public, I used to stop there during my Ghosts of Old Honolulu tour. One night, as our group stood before the Kamoʻiliʻili Church memorial, an older man asked if he could speak. He said he had worked on the construction crew that built the Contessa.

“I was one of the men digging the foundation for the pool,” he said. “We uncovered a skeleton, about nine feet long. Even I knew we shouldn’t have disturbed it. Reverend Akaka came, blessed the burial, and blessed us. We covered the bones right where they were. They’re still there.”

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Contessa condominium

<title>The bones beneath the Contessa</title>

The Contessa condominium in Mo‘ili‘ili stands where Kamo‘ili‘ili Church and its mainly Hawaiian graveyard had served the community since 1850. The remains of nearly 500 people were moved for the condo, but workers and residents over the years have reported chilling tales of the spirits that remain.

The bones beneath the Contessa

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Palaka is once again becoming a popular style of Hawai‘i fashion. The fabric’s increasing popularity is a turning point in the evolution of a garment whose influence over the Islands has persisted for nearly two centuries. In September, a 

 of palaka apparel sold-out in a matter of hours at the University of Hawai‘i. 

What once endured in palaka fabric was a clear political ideology informed by Hawai‘i’s history. The exact ideology is not subject to consensus. At times, the meaning of palaka has been lost in translation. Today, Palaka is no longer the working-class fabric of the plantation era with strong political connotations. As Hawai‘i’s culture inevitably evolves, however, the fabric is re-generating as an expression of a new era without a clear definition of local identity. 

Palaka is an old style with a new sheen. It may come off as ironic, as the fabric’s international roots lend to Hawai‘i’s formation as a dynamic meeting point for different cultures. Palaka, like ‘local’ identity, appears to be evolving in the Hawaiian Islands. 

At its heart, what lies in Hawai‘i’s fabric? 

The Tangled Roots of Hawai‘i’s Distinct Cloth

The origins of palaka are long worn with mystery. In 1976, University of Hawai‘i linguist 

as a transliteration of the word ‘frock,’ a term used to describe the garments worn by British and American sailors in the decades following the beginning of documented Western contact in 1778. As Hawaiians began to adopt western forms of wear, 

 became an expression of Hawai‘i’s standard form of dress. 

The pragmatic, durable fabric acquired a populist identity of its own. Laborers, notably those recruited from the Japanese Empire, soon adopted the dress over the following century. The late Barbara Kawakami, a researcher of plantation life and dress, 

style of earlier sailors bore many similarities to plaid-printed fabrics of rural Japan (known as 

). Palaka, simply put, was regarded as practical because it was hardy, comparatively light, and fairly affordable. 

The generations on the plantations grew old and had children who did not work on the plantations. With this ascendant and urbanizing generation, palaka

became a more nostalgic, politically charged expression of one’s identity in the islands. Over time, this style was popularized by stores like Arakawa’s General Store in Waipahu. 

, a Professor with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, also curates the University’s fashion collection. The University’s collection boasts palaka from Arakawa’s General Store. “What we start to see once we get to the ’80s and ’90s is an explosion of color,” Reilly explained. Pale pinks, mint greens, and other expressive colors become common. 

There was a clear distinction between the old palaka of the plantations and the palaka of the newer generations. The fabric of palaka shirts became cheaper as it became printed, not woven. “Real palaka, true palaka, is woven,” Reilly explained. 

clothing to “a uniform or badge, certifying the wearer's cultural identity and status (or perhaps merely his intuitive sympathies): as when palaka is described in advertisements as ‘Da Kine Checker Cloth’, ‘More Kamaaina than the Aloha shirt.’” Many of the shirts in the University of Hawai‘i’s curated collection seem to confirm this shift in palaka’s purpose. 

The descendants of laborers began to re-purpose palaka

to express a ‘local’ identity. Palaka became a political expression of Hawai‘i’s distinct identity, as confirmed at Hawai‘i’s 1978 Constitutional Convention.

 David Hagino circa 1977. “It does not have the fragility or sheen of silk. It represents the strength of our people.” 

Hagino saw Hawai‘i’s identity in the fabric. It was a cloth of the people of Hawai‘i from a departed era marked by decades of hard labor, racial injustice, and low wages on plantations, ranches and docks across the Territory of Hawai‘i. Within less than two decades of Hawai‘i’s admission as a U.S. State in 1959, the era belonged to the retired or deceased plantation workers, paniolos, and dock laborers. There was a tangible history to the fabric, one whose legacy could inspire residents who identified with this heritage of hard work and perseverance. 

“Palaka is a cloth that has a fascinating, weaving pattern of lines and colors. Its criss-cross pattern represents the interlocking strength of all our people to make one people and one culture.” Hawai‘i’s one people and one culture were expected to be those who identified most with a fabric that protected people “against the wind, sun, dust, and the luna’s whips.”

This was the basis of Palaka Power, a political tract which gained infamy as one of the most significant political manifestos in the State of Hawai‘i’s history. 

The tract influenced the 1978 Constitutional Convention. One Honolulu Advertiser profile of then-Delegate (and future Governor) John D. Waihe‘e III described his philosophy as “a derivative of the militant advocacy of ‘localism’ outlined by House candidate David Hagino in a phamplet (sic) called ‘Palaka Power.”

When elected to serve as a State Representative in House District Twelve in November 1978, David Hagino believed the year to be a watershed in Hawai‘i’s history. “I believe that 1978 in Hawaii is our generation’s 1954,” Hagino told a Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporter. “Like in ’54, there won’t be any new achievements right away,’ Hagino warned. ‘I don’t think things have crystallized yet. We have to find a common ground.” Hagino explained that he had written Palaka Power on a whim for a conference of Hawaiians. It was a draft—a working document perceived as a prospective ‘underlying philosophy’—‘a possible agenda and philosophy’—for  potential delegates at a then-imagined 1978 Constitutional Convention. 

To the young, it was a hopeful premise. Hawai‘i was done trying to become an American place. Could it steer its own path? Could Hawai‘i build out a Constitution that did not look like it was copy-and-pasted from other states? For those assembled delegates, the ethos of Palaka Power inspired Hawai‘i’s re-written 

 to assert that the people of Hawai‘i “reserve the right to control our destiny, to nurture the integrity of our people and culture, and to preserve the quality of life we desire.” It was a declaration of an island people’s liberty, independence, equality, and freedom in an increasingly scattered, globalized society. 

 Perhaps the declaration was too laden with too nostalgic and grandioise. Hawai‘i, after all, was still getting incorporated as a U.S. State, albeit with strong influence from Japan. Nevertheless, Palaka Power became mythical, lending a certain degree of hysteria about its aspirations to differentiate Hawai‘i and its people as a distinct, even foreign society in the American Union. 

At the formal ratification of the Hawai‘i’s 1978 Constitution on Saturday, December 2, 1978, several members of the Convention’s ‘Independent’ faction wore bands across their arms and wrists to seemingly signal their opposition to the new Constitution and its association with Palaka Power. Two such protesters, Anthony ‘Tony’ Takitani and Michael Crozier, were reported as wearing “black armbands over strips of palaka material’ to signal the ‘death of the aloha spirit.’ The doctrine of Palaka Power, by this point, had been defined as “a belief that locals should retain political power and preserve Hawaii’s uniqueness in the face of an infusion of newcomers to the state.”

Hagino, however, would continue to see palaka as less a divisive ideology and more an expression of Hawai‘i’s uniqueness. In invoking the example of McDonald’s serving Hawai‘i staples like Saimin and Portuguese sausage, he appeared to imagine a uniquely local identity capable of resisting the overwhelming cultural—and political—influences of the American continent. 

“The question is how we can remain in tune with the times and still remain uniquely Hawaiian,’ Hagino explained. ‘You have to bring something to Hawai‘i when you come and then we’ll make it something uniquely Hawaiian.” In this vein, the 1978 Constitution was not opposed to the outsider. Instead, it was an exercise in adapting the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i as a document indicative of Hawai‘i’s self-confidence as a distinct place secure outside of its American position.

 to legislative power mirrored the 1978 Constitution, and the rise of a generation that appeared poised to re-invigorate Hawai‘i’s politics. This generation’s peak arguably arrived eight years later, with the election of John D. Waihe‘e III as Governor in 1986. This era faded by the time Waihe‘e (and Hagino) left office in 1994. 

By 1994, the ideology had become associated with a new bastion of entrenched power at the state level. “While the state bureaucracy continues to overflow with friends of the governor,” critic John McLaren 

 in the Star Bulletin on April 4, 1993, “the current and past state administrations have clearly failed to advance any of the broad, idealistic social and political reforms advocated by the proponents of Palaka Power.” 

While Waihe‘e’s administration had established a State Water Code and stewarded the establishment of an Office of Hawaiian Affairs (which had begun under his predecessor, Governor George Ariyoshi), McLaren’s abiding frustration was with the corruption of the ideology’s proponents. The corruption of an ideal is only natural in the pragmatic world of politics. 

It was only natural, as even the best palaka wears with time, sun, and wear. 

Palaka Power, perhaps like the palaka of the ’70s, seems to have fallen out of fashion. “I just don’t know why any people are even interested in [Palaka Power] anymore,” Hagino joked with this writer in October 2025, “I thought it’d be long forgotten.” 

Palaka Power’s idealism is the reason it enjoys some staying power, especially among those idealists in our society. Like the palaka attire of the ’70s, ‘Palaka Power’ would carry an enduring, if not controversial, ring to local politics. After all, was the declaration of a local identity intended to exclude outsiders? How could outsiders that believed in Palaka Power join the circle? 

Former Governor Ben Cayetano, who was running for the State Senate in 1978, contended in his 2009 memoir that the doctrine had only widened the political gulf between insiders and outsiders. “Preserving local values was important, but ‘Palaka Power’ seemed written to exclude the political outsider, haole and local. I felt excluded. And I think most of the independent Democrats I was allied with felt the same way.” Defining a local identity and excluding outsiders was not the same. 

Palaka won’t go away. Pessimism might have dampened the more idealistic variants of Hagino’s manifesto. Manifestos, like the ebb and flow of palaka’s popularity, can grow stale with the years. 

However, the era of pessimism is giving way to another wave of interest in palaka. Reilly notes that contemporary designers in Hawai‘i like 

 are re-inventing the fabric. Palaka, while serving as the base of new designs, is subject to innovation.

Hawai‘i’s political culture may deserve such innovation. Palaka power was written for a different generation meeting a different Hawai‘i. Decades after its formation, David Hagino believes a new definition of 

is long overdue. “I think the younger generation–you guys and the younger ones–you guys have to carve out your own destiny.” 

Palaka, however, once inspired a certain populism in Hawai‘i. This populism was never cheap, nor was it expensive. It was accessible and precious, durable and clear. Hawai‘i deserves a spirit of such gravity. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hawai‘i deserves some true palaka."}]

Manoa ctahr palaka

<title>What endures in Palaka?</title>

Palaka — the fabric — has passed through many hands and generations to become a distinctive fabric of the Islands, reflecting its multicultural history. So, too, has Palaka Power, the political philosophy that took its name from the working-class history associated with the humble cloth. Is there a place for that philosophy now?

What endures in Palaka?

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Nearly a year after its opening, Pickles at Forté is expanding, soon adding more courts for Downtown Honolulu’s pickleball enthusiasts.

The Pickle Party, a grand opening of eight new courts on the second floor, is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 14, in line with the inaugural 

, taking place at the same time at Fort Street Mall.

Pickles at Forté, the first air conditioned, indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu, opened in January on the ground floor of 1032 Fort Street Mall. The space was formerly occupied by Walmart, which had been vacant since the retailer closed that location in early 2023.

It's also part of a larger redevelopment plan in the works by Avalon Group, a Downtown-based full-service real estate development, consulting and sales company that acquired the property in February 2024 for $38.25 million.

“This was just in response to massive demand that we’ve seen,” Robby Kelley, executive vice president for Avalon, told Aloha State Daily Friday. “Since we opened nearly a year ago now, membership for Pickles has grown to really where we’re at capacity with our court utilization. We were hurrying as much as possible to get some additional courts open to alleviate that capacity. Now we have more courts available. [It] gives us the ability to host more community events, more tournaments and just [have] more times available for our members.”

According to Kelley, 1,700 people initially signed up to play in its early weeks, but Pickles at Forté now has approximately 400 members and they’re looking to expand membership to 800 to 1,000.

Some membership specials will soon be available, including an upcoming BOGO promotion where people who sign up for a month will get a second month free, he says.

“Throughout this whole year, I’ve just been continually amazed at the level of interest in pickleball,” Kelley says. “[I’m] always a little incredulous when I go there on a Tuesday at 11 a.m. and I see all the courts are packed.”

The second phase of the redevelopment initially called for approximately 10 pickleball courts on the second floor as well as a restaurant, full locker rooms and other amenities. Kelley said Friday, however, that the developer is delaying the upstairs restaurant concept for a bit, focusing on pickleball and ground-floor retail, as well as looking at plans to potentially build about 100 units of workforce rental housing on top of the existing Walmart building. That effort is still in the planning stages, he noted.

It's a “continuum of continuing to improve the building one step at a time.”

Pickles at Forté expanded upon its initial offerings 

, welcoming a sports shop, Teapresso Bar and a golf simulator.

Kelley says the golf simulator is up, running and available to both members and non-members. A special golf membership also has recently launched.

Kelley noted, too, that Aloha Creamery now has a kiosk offering ice cream within Pickles as well.

“It’s really been a success for us so far doing exactly what we’ve wanted it to [do], which was to really help build a community and bring life to Downtown,” Kelley says. “… It is starting to do what we wanted, to change the character of the block there, and that’s just going to continue as we get more and more open.”

Pickleball is a popular pastime in the Islands. A study conducted by 

, a pickleball tech company, found that Hawai‘i has the third highest density of pickleball courts in the U.S., 

Pickles at forte1 012725

<title>More pickleball courts opening in Downtown Honolulu</title>

The Pickle Party, a grand opening of eight new courts on the second floor of Pickles at Forté, is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 14.

More pickleball courts opening in Downtown Honolulu

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Aloha Spirit

Joanne “Cookie” Fujio can’t recall exactly when she and her husband, Gary “Black” Miyashiro, had the conversation that upended their happy life on Kaua‘i — only that it was late fall 2011.

“Black mentioned one day that he was having trouble speaking,” said Fujio, who had retired from the Department of Education the year before. “He said the words were clear in his mind, but he just couldn’t get them out of his mouth.”

After reviewing Black’s MRI in January 2012, his primary care physician referred him to a neurologist at The Queen’s Medical Center. It took four months to get an appointment, and even after additional imaging and a follow-up consultation, the couple received no answers. The neurologist referred Black, a retired supervisor at Verizon (now Hawaiian Telcom), to the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF’s) Memory and Aging Center.

Three months passed without any word, and days for Black and Fujio were filled with concern, frustration, anxiety and uncertainty. “By then, it was September, so I called the memory center,” Fujio said. “They said Black was still on their waiting list, and the earliest he could be seen would be spring 2013. Then, in early October, they said a spot had opened the following week. We took it and packed our bags.”

Black’s speech had continued to decline along with his ability to chew and swallow. They stayed in San Francisco for a week — two full days of which were testing — then flew home after agreeing to participate in a research project during a future visit.

Just two weeks later, however, they were asked to return to San Francisco for that study. Black completed another series of tests and was told none of the results indicated he had memory problems. He was referred to UCFS’s ALS & Neurodegenerative Disease Center whose director, Dr. Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, examined him right away.

She shared Black’s devastating diagnosis on Halloween 2012: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the New York Yankees’ star first baseman in the 1920s and 1930s. Diagnosed in 1939, Gehrig was the first celebrity to put ALS in the public eye. Other luminaries afflicted with the disease also helped raise awareness about it, including Oscar winner David Niven; Roberta Flack, who received four Grammys; Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams; and physicist Stephen Hawking, famed for his groundbreaking theories on black holes and the origin of the universe.

Fujio immersed herself in research about ALS and discovered that it is notoriously difficult to diagnose. No single test can confirm the disease; instead, doctors must first carefully rule out other conditions with similar symptoms such as multiple sclerosis. These symptoms include muscle weakness, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and trouble walking. A diagnosis of ALS can take from 10 to 16 months — or even longer — depending on patients’ access to medical care.

Eventually, they can’t talk, eat, move or breathe. Although symptoms can be managed and progression can be slowed with drugs, physical therapy and breathing exercises, there is no cure. ALS strikes people of all races and ethnicities, usually between ages 40 and 70. Life expectancy is two to five years after diagnosis.

“About 75 percent of ALS patients start losing mobility first, but that wasn’t the case with Black, so the doctors initially didn’t think he had ALS,” Fujio said. “In fact, he moved pretty well until the last 10 months of his life. Then his health declined rapidly.”

Black passed away peacefully at home on August 7, 2015. He was 68 years old.

This year, a decade later, Fujio spent part of that day listening to some of the hundreds of CDs and songs Black had downloaded on the iPad he used to communicate when he could no longer speak. He enjoyed all types of music, from oldies to jazz, Hawaiian to reggae. They remind her of who he was: kind, dependable, fun-loving, always willing to help others.

“He was happiest when he was in the sun—surfing, golfing, fishing, doing yardwork,” Fujio said. “His friends called him Black because his skin had darkened from the countless hours he spent outside. That may not be a politically correct nickname today, but it fit him. He was rarely indoors.”

It still saddens her to think that Black died before their son and daughter got married and their two grandchildren were born.

“But our family’s ALS story isn’t unique,” Fujio said. “Many others have gone through the same, often even more difficult, challenges. Supporting Hawai‘i’s ALS community has allowed me to honor Black in a meaningful way and find strength in helping others.”

Fujio has served as an advisory trustee for the ALS

Network—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Woodland Hills, California—since 2013. In that unpaid role, she views herself as a relationship builder, connecting the organization with people in Hawai‘i who can further its mission to “drive the discovery of prevention strategies, treatments and cures for ALS; provide access to quality care and connection; and promote initiatives to improve health outcomes.”

Among other things, she fundraises, seeks grant opportunities, finds resources for support services, and meets with government officials and community leaders.

“There was very little help for local ALS families when our first benefit walk was held in 2013,” Fujio said. “We had to figure things out on our own. ALS doesn’t just affect patients; it also takes a toll on their caregivers and loved ones. It can leave families emotionally drained and financially burdened. I want to ensure that everyone in Hawai‘i who’s facing ALS receives the care and compassion that they need. It’s a hard, heartbreaking journey, and no one should have to walk it alone.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

Now in its 12th year, this fundraiser is set for Saturday, October 11, at Kapi‘olani Park. Check-in is at 8 a.m.; the walk will begin at 9 a.m.

There will be routes to accommodate all levels of ability, including those in wheelchairs. Participants should register by October 4. There is no fee, and attendees can look forward to live hula and music, food booths, an ALS resource fair, keiki activities, prizes and giveaways.

For more information, to join the walk and/or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit 

Fujio and husband Gary

<title>Uncles and Aunties: Joanne “Cookie” Fujio's fight against ALS</title>

When Gary “Black” Miyashiro was diagnosed with ALS, he and his wife, Joanne “Cookie” Fujio immediately became champions of the ALS Network. It's work Joanne has continued to do, a decade after his death. The next Hawai‘i Walk & Roll to Cure ALS is coming up on Saturday, October 11, at Kapi‘olani Park

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Take a trip

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Too busy vibing

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Take a trip

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Too busy vibing

Most read