Monument to Compassion
That’s exactly what the Shiners Hospital for Children is, and the monument is growing with an $80 million, 40-bed addition. Among the more than 23,000 kids who have been served by Shriners are Kiaka Malagaomo-Pio, 7, and Wesley Park (right). With them is Dr. Carl Scheer
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future. It’s like the children who are healed there. They dodge adversity and thrive.
Someone who knows about that is U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, who says it’s personal. “I owe a lot to this hospital because 71 years ago they fixed my fractured elbow,” he says. “It was a compound fracture and, as a result, I got in the service.”
There are many heart-warming stories that are part of this landmark structure. Not only is it a functional building, but it is architecturally aesthetic as well. SRG Partnership, with assistance from several local firms, has addressed the hospital’s space and modernization needs with an eye to reflecting Hawaii’s historic territorial architecture.
But a building is bricks and mortar without the people who bring it to life.
We asked three spokesmen - a present leader, a former patient and the face of the future - to tell us about their relationship with Shriners Hospital.
World’s Greatest Philanthropy
Dr. Carl Scheer is a retired radiologist who was in private practice in Connecticut for 25 years before moving to the Islands. Life here has been gratifying, he says, thanks in part to an active involvement in Shriners.
He says: “I became a Shriner in 1995 and served for many years on the board. I worked my way up the ladder of leadership, and today I serve as chairman of the board of governors.
“I have been involved in the implementation of the new hospital building project over the last six years. A testament to the value of this project is that the hospital is busier than ever. This is a good thing because it means more people are being helped. We are proud to help patients change their lives and become productive citizens when physical impairments or disabilities no longer interfere with their growth.
“We are proud that no bill is ever sent to a patient or family. That will not change. Anyone who falls within the guidelines of our program is accepted for treatment.
“We invite the public to bring problem cases to our attention so we can screen them for consideration. We have outreach clinics throughout Hawaii and the Pacific. And thanks to this modern, fully equipped facility, now we can continue with what is regarded as the world’s greatest philanthropy.”
Turnarounds are Possible
Wesley Park, author of Lessons Learned on the Corner in Kalihi and Lessons Learned on Bishop Street, claims his greatest life lessons happened on Punahou Street while being treated at Shriners Hospital. The successful businessman-educator says:
“What I remember vividly is being there every Wednesday after school and each Saturday morning. My therapist, the late Ruth Aust, was my hero. When I was 5, my parents took me to Children’s Hospital to have my tonsils out and the next thing I knew, I was in an iron lung.
“I had polio that affected my upper body. I could-n’t lift my right arm above the shoulder and when I raised my left arm it would fall. My head was tilted on a weak neck. I went to Shriners twice a week until I was in high school.
“I didn’t want anyone to know I had polio. Growing up in Kakaako and Kalihi meant a lot of fistfights. Somehow I survived that, but I had a lot of lumps on my head. Shriners Hospital strengthened me physically and emotionally.
“The way I see it, the main thing you can do as a person is to do your best - your personal best. Turnarounds are possible with a positive attitude. “
Face of the Future
Kiaka Malagaomo-Pio of Wahiawa was 5 years old when he stepped on a skateboard and tried to take a ride. He took a serious spill and suffered traumatic injuries to his arm and leg. As a result, he has a radial clubhand deformity that requires an external fixator splint to facilitate healing. His parents, Afatia and Moana Malagaomo-Pio, have seen their young son through a lengthy process of hospitalization, surgery and rehabilitative therapies that would have been cost-prohibitive had it not been for Shriners Hospital.
Now, at age 7, Kiaka is an active child enjoying second grade and looking forward to playing football with the big boys. He’s a cheerful kid who aspires to be an athlete, even putting in practice time at Leilehua High School, where his father is a coach.
Kiaka represents the future of Shriners Hospital because thousands of children like him will be helped and given hope to live a normal life. The alternative is being confined to a bed or wheelchair. With advanced medical technology and amazing orthopedic apparatus today, fewer invasive surgeries are done and recovery time is expeditious.
Healthy lifestyle and healing. That’s what the “new” Shriners Hospital building is all about. End of story.
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