Page 5 - MidWeek - March 15, 2023

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for many years to come. Hope Lodge operates with support from volunteers and generous donations from our community. For more information on Hope Lodge, visit our website for links on how you can help.
Life speed bumps like my family members’ medical circumstances can feel like brick walls. However, the lessons we learned and life experiences we went through need to be recorded. In Ho‘okele 1.1, we discussed your family, and in Ho‘okele 1.2 we discussed your health. In both these areas, you need to document your family’s health history, as well as your own. Both my father’s and my nephew’s cancer are important items I have documented in our family’s health history for myself and my descendants.
Many people have a family health history with at least one
chronic disease, such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes. To get a better picture about your family’s health history, collect and document as much information as you can. Include information on major medical conditions, cause of death, age at disease diagnosis, age at death, ethnic background and more.
Document as much of your family’s health history as possible before visiting your doctor. Even if you don’t know much, it’s best to share what you do know. Such important and practical information, even when incomplete, can help your doctor decide what screening tests you may need and which should come first. Has your mother or sister had breast cancer? Check with your doctor about whether having a mammogram earlier is right for you. Does anyone
in your immediate family have diabetes? Ask your doctor how early you should be screened.
You can’t change your genes, but you can minimize your risk by being more informed and documenting that information. Screening tests help find early signs of disease, which often results in better health over the long run. It’s also very important to document family success stories when dealing with major health challenges. My father credited his homeopathic regimen of noni, elderberry and soursop as titans in his fight with cancer. Write down whatever family remedies that have worked, how they were prepared and which brands/varieties were used. In this way, you pass on important information about your family’s health history, as well as important cultural and traditional knowledge.
Helping all Hawai‘i ‘ohana achieve their highest quality of life possible is the main goal of the “Get Your House in Order” campaign, while also reminding everyone of the importance of sound life-planning decisions. There are four phases of the “Get Your House In Order” campaign, with a new section of the Ho‘okele guidebook available from the HIFICU.com website during each quarter. Ho‘okele 1.1 and 1.2 are now available. Download your copy and start completing your Ho‘okele booklet today.
For more information about “Get Your House In Order,” email GYHO@hificu.com. Also, tune in to KITV at 7 p.m. every Saturday to watch Yunji De Nies talk with local industry experts on how and why you should Get Your House In Order.
Document Paulette Ito
When life is humming, we go about our daily business on autopilot. For example, some days, I don’t remember my drive home. It’s as if one moment I was at work, and the next I was home, and the mundane middle disappeared. However, when you hit a speed bump in life, it’s easy to feel discombobulated. And when it’s serious, all routines go out the window.
Fifteen years ago, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He went through treatment and for several years was cancer free. But the cancer came back. He went through treatment again and is once more cancer free. I just summed up my dad’s ordeal in three sentences, but believe me, it was much more dramatic. The village that rallied behind him and the intense treatment was overwhelming. Today, he is thriving at 84 years old.
Nine years ago, my nephew had a mass that needed to be removed, so he flew to O‘ahu
for surgery. My sister, a single mother of four, needed and wanted to be his caregiver. Luckily, with help from the American Cancer Society, they were both able to stay at Hope Lodge.
Hope Lodge provides cancer patients who live more than 40 miles away a free place to stay during treatment. Conveniently located near The Queen’s Medical Center, each of Hope Lodge’s private rooms has two beds, one for the patient and one for the caregiver. It is a wonderful facility offering a family atmosphere that boasts a huge kitchen as well as a private meditation area. Without Hope Lodge, my sister and nephew would not have been able to go through their journey successfully. While at Hope Lodge they were able to focus solely on treatment and recovery in a truly nurturing environment.
I love Hope Lodge. Its service is invaluable, and I hope the mission continues
March 15, 2023 MIDWEEK 5
PAULETTE ITO
SVP Marketing
Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union
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