Born and raised on Oʻahu, Karen Gibson has authored five books in the last five years. Her latest one, "My Mother's Alzheimer's Journey From Tokyo to Honolulu to Oblivion," which launched in April, explores “lessons learned about love, loss and letting go.”
“My goal is to promote my latest book, ‘My Mom’s Alzheimer’s Journey from Tokyo to Honolulu to Oblivion,’ as a resource for anyone navigating the rollercoaster journey of Alzheimer's,” Gibson told Aloha State Daily.
"The book takes us into the life of Masako Cateel, a woman shaped by her experiences as a woman of Japanese descent, an immigrant, a wife and mother,” she continued. “The book takes readers on a journey with her daughter, reflecting on Masako’s life from Tokyo to Honolulu, and into the world of Alzheimer’s. It is not only a story about a woman’s life but also about lessons in patience, grief, identity and unconditional love. It is also a book that offers helpful advice to those caregivers and families dealing with Alzheimer’s: 'You are not alone, your exhaustion is real, and your connections matter.'"
Gibson added that the book was based on a journal she kept when her mom moved in with her after her dad’s passing in 2016. “I’ve always wanted to write about her journey,” she said, adding that her mom’s life was “interesting” because she had lost both her parents by age 16, moved away from Japan hardly speaking any English and married someone in the U.S. military.
“She was so optimistic,” recalled Gibson, who grew up on the Mainland and in Guam before returning in the Islands. Her dad was from Puʻunēnē, Maui.
While in her 60s, Gibson’s mom had a hard time conversing and remembering things. The family put her in a care home in September of 2019 and less than two years later, she died. She was 90.
“The months after her death were indescribable. I was devastated when she passed on my dad’s birthday. And then my daughter said how romantic that she reunited with my dad on his birthday,” Gibson, a mother of two adult daughters, told ASD. “Toward the end of her life, I was thinking about writing the lessons I learned during that time, along with ‘One Hundred Parenting Tips Inspired by the Pandemic,’ which I released first.”
For Mother’s Day this year, she decided to bring the latest book and some lei to the cemetery where her mother is buried. “I placed the lei around the headstone and read a chapter of the book to her — it’s her legacy."
As the founder of Brain Builders, a private tutoring business, she has noticed her clients are navigating their own Alzheimer’s journey with loved ones.
She advises “not do the journey alone.”
“It’s overwhelming. We must learn to let go of what’s not ours to carry.”
Gibson, a former special education teacher, has a background in marketing and is a parent-family coach. In 2020, she launched Letting Go with Aloha, “designed for overwhelmed mothers, focused on reducing parenting stress and eliminating guilt by teaching parents how to release control, build emotional intelligence and communicate effectively with their children.”
(ICYMI: This week, Gibson shared tips on how local families can break free from daily struggles with screen time. Read more.)
"My Mother's Alzheimer's Journey From Tokyo to Honolulu to Oblivion" is available for purchase on Amazon. Other books by Gibson include “Mama's Gotta Let Go: How to Let Go without Losing Your Sanity"; "One Hundred Parenting Tips Inspired by the Pandemic"; "365 Parenting Quotes & Affirmations" and “6 Decades, 6 Lessons: Wisdom from My Journey."
Gibson said she also picked up art as a hobby during the pandemic. Last month, she sold her art for the first time in-person at the Waipahu Arts Festival.
Join Gibson for a live art and talk story session from 5 to 8 p.m. this Friday, June 5, at the Waikīkī Ocean Gallery, inside the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort.
“Art is so unpredictable," she said. "I like the idea of using it to help others.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
