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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Ronald Freed at Ala Moana Park. "The lull before the storm."

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25 12 19 Ronald Freed

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: There's a storm coming</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Ronald Freed at Ala Moana Park.

Hawai‘i Skies: There's a storm coming

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Ronald Freed at Ala Moana Park. &quot;The lull before the storm.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

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Rick Hamada

Columnists

[{"type":"text","text":"We all know these familiar sayings:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Health is Wealth\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"An apple a day keeps the doctor away,\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.\""}]

"Yes, I'll have double vodka martini, a Cowboy Rib-Eye and a cup of melted butter."

OK, the last one was more of my familiar saying because I've said that at Ruth's Chris for decades.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"text":"Homer Simpson: \"Hmmm ... melted butter.\""}]

Sure, I've heard the sayings, I've heard friends warn me about my consumption and I heard various physicians over the years issue their cautionary tales.

[{"type":"text","text":"I heard it all."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But I didn't listen."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"So let me share where I am today."}]

I am soon to be 65 years of age in a matter of months and I have been instrumental in damaging my health over many years.

The first wake-up call was in 2005. Our family was vacationing in Michigan where our families would get together for the holidays.

This particular year, the kids were so very young and we just toured the local zoo.

I was called by my primary physician informing me that I had full blown Type-2 diabetes. I had had blood work done before the trip and based on, well, everything, that was his conclusion. The news was not breaking news. I assumed I was prone and when it was confirmed I didn't really process what the implications were. This was the beginning.

[{"type":"text","text":"I have always struggled with weight. "}]

I was in my early 20s and my friend introduced me to Gold's Gym in California. I became a gym rat, often working out seven days a week and for a good period of time we'd do two-a-days. At my peak I had about 8% body fat and weighed in at 198 pounds on my 6'1" frame. I maintained this regimen through my 20s but slowed to a crawl in my 30s. And 40s. And 50s.

Yes, there we pockets of time where the two mantras of good health — diet and exercise — were employed but there was never a return to the focus and dedication to good health.

During my post-20s to now, I loved to consume. To imbibe. To revel in food and drink. And this was the norm and not the exception over all these years.

[{"type":"text","text":"Let me share about myself what maybe you can relate to."}]

I eat for comfort and not hunger. I have stated to those who would listen that food and I have a difficult relationship. This is where I find satisfaction. Emotional triggers lead to gorging. Insecurities are quelled with stacking a plate and watching TV. With a life where there is no real sense of control the one thing, I did have was absolute control over what was on my fork. I can say those were times of great contentment.

[{"type":"text","text":"Until the food was gone."}]

All the unease and anxiety would return. And so would the fork, and so on and so on and so on.

That call from my PCP while in Michigan came at a time when I was at my heaviest weight ever — 348 pounds.

[{"type":"text","text":"I actually bought slacks with a 50-inch waist size."}]

I was a husband and a father of two young children and I was either intentionally or unintentionally killing myself.

[{"type":"text","text":"Returning home, I chose to change."}]

I worked with my PCP, was prescribed medication and actually followed a plan.

And for a while it worked. The following year back with my folks and I had dropped about 40 pounds, wore 44-inch pants and received compliments by many.

[{"type":"text","text":"I finally turned it around."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Over the next couple of decades, I was just being myself."}]

Interestingly, as much as I liked to drink and, yes, smoke cigarettes, I didn't gain all the weight back. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Wow, I'm doing OK. Let's go!"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Then the first stroke hit."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"It was March of 2020, just when the COVID shutdowns were happening."}]

I was prepping for my radio show and I just felt light headed, maybe a bit dizzy. That's OK, I'd felt that before.

When I arrived in the studio and and reviewed emails I discovered I could not type. That's right. Nothing. I couldn't control my striking of keys on the keyboard. I passed if off as just being tired.

When the time came I cracked the microphone and I could not talk. I could make sounds but couldn't actually speak. 

[{"type":"text","text":"I knew I was in trouble."}]

I took a commercial break, called my PCP and he ordered me to go directly to the ER.

Upon arrival, I was given an MRI and the imagery showed blackness on the left mid to bottom of my brain.

I had suffered a stroke affecting my speech and cognition. I was admitted immediately,

I have shared in this space and on my radio show that my belief in God supersedes all other outside agencies. However, I believe the Lord empowers others to help others and that's why I thank the Lord for our entire health care community. I recovered from the stroke amazingly. The doctors and nurses were so supportive and I was released in relatively good condition. Over time, I did feel some of the impacts, such as short term memory loss and an ever so slight slur in my speech. Listeners, friends, family and even doctors remarked that I sounded just fine. It was here when I decided to optimize my health via physicians and prescriptions. I even embraced, yes, diet and exercise.

[{"type":"text","text":"And then I didn't."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"December 26, 2024."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"A second stroke."}]

This time it was termed a hypertensive stroke directly due to my high blood pressure. Two bulging veins in my brain were the main culprits. If they had ruptured we may not be together today. I was treated, admitted and was released after two days in hospital. I returned to being more responsible but my struggles continued.

Despite siren calls for essential lifestyle changes, I would peak and valley with goo

d and not so good activity. Whether it was food choices, beverage selections, maintaining stress, a remarkable minimum time of quality sleep, maintaining ideal blood pressure and blood sugar levels, a profound lack of physical exercise or other related issues there were more health changes on their way.

I attended a nonprofit fundraising event in Waikīkī and while walking to the valet, I tripped and fell. This caused severe pain in my left rib cage and I went to the ER. The on-duty doctor assigned X-rays and blood work and when all were completed he shared the results. Yes, my ribs were injured, but not broken. But...

[{"type":"text","text":"The blood work revealed I have Stage 3 kidney disease."}]

I was surprised because through all my time of health care, I wasn't apprised of such a dramatic development. Thank goodness for the fall because I may still be oblivious to such a severe condition. Incidentally, Stage 3 leads to Stage 4 which leads to Stage 5 and dialysis. I was informed that within two years of my last record of blood work, my kidneys had deteriorated by more than 40%. Ask anybody who has been subjected to the cost, the time and limitations demanded by kidney dialysis treatments. It's truly a life sentence.

I know that I'm in the 4th quarter and perhaps even approaching the two-minute warning. I know that the onus is on me for not acting responsibly, consistently and proactively regarding my health. I am reaping the consequences and regretfully, I'm jeopardizing my time with the most important people in my life, Zachary and Zoe, my children.

However, I am renewed and taking steps to reverse the damages I've inflicted via regenerative stem cell therapies and, coupled with a new found commitment to living longer, I'm hopeful for a longer future.

It's important to me to share my story in the hope that you will be compelled to take stock of your health. Listen to your body, reach out to your health professionals, take advice seriously and change your lifestyle to optimize the quality of life you're living. 

If you are doing this now, then I respect and commend you. If you're not, then start. You don't want what I have after years of being self-centered and dismissive. I can only pray for the opportunity to repair and maintain my health to thereby improve my time remaining, and I wholeheartedly share my prayers with you.

Kidney disease i Stock 1360864678 16x9

<title>Hamada: Let me be a warning to you</title>

ASD columnist Rick Hamada gets personal with some health news, in hopes that you'll be inspired to take better care of yourself.

Hamada: Let me be a warning to you

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 — located in the former space of The Lei Stand in Chinatown — looks like an antique shop, filled with vintage Hawaiian décor. But, as soon as you go the “portal” of aloha shirts, you’ll be transported to a modern lounge space.

“We did want to keep an element of a speakeasy feel for the space,” says business owner Peter Hessler, of PEWA by Pono Potions’ location. “It does look like a very small space from the street, and then it opens up to a big, expansive bar and this awesome courtyard.

“We wanted it to be a bit of a surprise,” he adds. “My partner Michael (Cabagbag) is a big collector of vintage Hawaiian antiques and is passionate about vintage clothes and art. That’s (the entrance) really his space — we’re calling it his antique shop — and it’s going to get more stuffed with antiques as we go. It’s going to feel like a really unique, hole-in-the-wall, Chinatown antique shop.”

This cocktail lounge concept has been in the works for some time for Hessler and Cabagbag, owners of artisan syrup company Pono Potions.

“Michael and I had always talked about wanting to open a cocktail lounge, just because our syrups really lend themselves to making cocktails,” Hessler says. “We always tell people they can make cocktails with them; we haven’t really had a home base for that.

“We’re really excited,” he adds. “This is a really big endeavor for us, from growing the syrup business and the café (

), which is still fairly small and only open during the day. This is twice as big as the café, twice as many hours and multiple food menus, cocktails plus coffee and matcha in the morning. It is a lot for us, and we’re so excited to share everything with the people around us.”

He explains the business’s name stems from a traditional Hawaiian word portrayed in the lounge’s logo.

“It’s the traditional Hawaiian word for this shape — this fishtail-kind of shape — in the ‘P’ (of PEWA),” Hessler says. “It was traditionally used for woodworking and mending two pieces of wood together. We were inspired by that because we wanted to bring our community together. With this being our first night and cocktail concept, we have much more space to invite the community into events and host workshops.

“It’s everything we have been doing for 

(by Pono Potions) for years, just in a different setting,” he adds.

PEWA by Pono Potions features an espresso bar in the morning from 9 to 11 a.m., then offers different menus for lunch (served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and pau hana (4 to 9 p.m.). The espresso bar is different from the specialty beverages customers can get at sister business 

by Pono Potions, which is also located in Chinatown.

is still our flagship store for our Pono Potions syrups for our coffee and matcha drinks,” Hessler explains. “There are about 30-plus specialty drink options and combinations and cold foams at Pō'ai. For this space, we wanted to keep it very simple. It’s more of a purist European-style espresso bar — there are classic drinks, cortados, lattes, flat whites, things like that.”

Customers who visit PEWA by Pono Potions in the morning can enjoy a rotating selection of baked goods from Ulu and Kalo Bakery and Aloha German Bakery, according to Hessler.

“Ulu and Kalo Bakery — which we use at Pō'ai

by Pono Potions — has all vegan and gluten-free baked goods that are amazing,” he says. “We also started working with Aloha German Bakery; they are more classic European-style baked goods.”

PEWA’s lunch and pau hana menus have given Hessler the chance to get back into the kitchen and exercise his culinary creativity.

“I grew up in Portland in the back of the house as a cook and banquet chef in hotels and restaurants,” he says. “I haven’t really gotten into much (of that) here in Hawai‘i; I haven’t worked in a kitchen in more than 13 years. It was really daunting, having this much space with a full kitchen and just thinking about how I was going to manage that.”

Hessler says he created all the recipes for the dishes on the lunch and pau hana menus, with some help from his cousin, Arden Waikīkī chef Jasmyne Wood.

“It’s been a really fun process to meld all of those things together,” he says.

PEWA’s lunch menu includes pūpū like yuzu citrus glaze chicken wings ($18) and fritto misto ($18); salads like Caesar ($15) and burrata Caprese ($18); and entrees like grilled chicken club ($18) and a rib-eye sando ($24).

“Working in Chinatown for so long, I’m always in search for a filling, healthy, good sandwich,” Hessler says. “I really like our chicken club with avocado and bacon — it’s super simple, but really good.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Meanwhile, the pau hana menu includes more shareable dishes."}]

“We didn’t want it to be a place where you felt you were going out for a three-course meal; it’s not a sit-down dinner service sort of place,” he says. “It’s a space to enjoy a cocktail and share different things with your friends.

Customers can opt for dishes like grilled boneless rib-eye ($48), herb-grilled prawns ($32), hot sausage vodka rigatoni ($24) and spaghetti aglio e olio ($20).

“The grilled prawns are served with a housemade grilled baba ganoush; that’s a really fun thing to share,” Hessler says. “We have a pūpū rib-eye steak with a chimichurri sauce and it’s lightly marinated with red wine and some balsamic vinegar; it’s really, really good. The chicken wings are a crowd favorite already; they’re super crispy with a yuzu citrus glaze.”

The pau hana menu also offers a variety of shareable boards that are designed to split among three to four people, according to Hessler. Choose from smoked salmon with whipped herb goat cheese and house pickles ($23); Mediterranean with grilled baba ganoush, hummus and crudite ($20); and charcuterie and cheese ($25).

“We have a lot of boards; I’ve been pretty infamous for charcuterie boards," he says. "We would host so many events at 

, and I would make huge, elaborate boards all the time. I wanted to bring that here as well.”

PEWA boasts an extensive drink menu; customers can choose from handcrafted cocktails ($18), espresso martinis ($14-$18), beers ($8-$10) and classic Pono spritzes ($14), along with wines by the glass and bottle.

So far, customer favorites include the Crown Flower ($18) — milk-washed gin, pikake and lychee-accented cocktail — and Red Palaka ($18). The latter pays homage to the Year of the Fire Horse, and features a tequila and mezcal sour paired with olena pineapple and pink lucky candy.

“The Red Palaka is one of my favorites,” Hessler says. “I (also) really like the Mana Mai’a ($16), which uses our new banana bread Pono Potions syrup, fresh lemon juice, vodka, and freshly grated cinnamon on top.”

Any of the classic Pono spritzes ($14 each) can be made into non-alcoholic versions, according to Hessler. These drinks usually feature a base spirit, house soda, and Pono Potions syrups. If you want something refreshing, go for the non-alcoholic version of the hibiscus mojito, which is a blend of hibiscus syrup, lime and soda. 

On Sundays, the space is open for brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last call for the kitchen is at 2 p.m.). Dishes range from shakshuka and avocado toast to rib-eye steak and eggs and a sweetbread French toast skillet.

“We want this space to be like the destination for a fun Sunday boozy brunch with good food and good drinks on the patio,” Hessler says.

He says that, since opening, the space has already been busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of life we bring into this space,” Hessler says. “We want to make this space accessible to everyone — we want to make it a destination for people to come to have one drink or one coffee, or just to relax all night and eat some good food as well. The most important thing is the camaraderie with the community.”

Open 9 to 11 a.m. (espresso bar), 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch), and 4 to 9 p.m. (pau hana) Wednesdays to Saturdays; open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Hawai‘i Skies: There's a storm coming

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Hawai‘i Skies: There's a storm coming

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawai‘i Skies: Color takeover

Hawaiʻi Skies: Lunar halo

Hawaiʻi Skies: Aloha Friday

Hawaiʻi Skies: Rain = rainbows

Most read