A Quick Thinking Day
Aloha Pamela,
While on the Kaiser-Moanalua to Kaiser-Honolulu shuttle, I suffer from COPD, but never like this. A lady passenger refused to roll up her window, saying she could not breathe if she closed it. Even her daughter told her to roll up the window, but she refused. I was choking and couldn’t breathe, as the vog was blowing right at me through the open window. Another gal on the van called the shuttle boss “Tinky” and explained the situation. He then called the driver to make a detour to Ward Straub emergency. I stayed there for an hour and a half. Now I have an emergency room bill. When I was able to leave the hospital, I called Tinky personally to thank him. I need to find out that other gal’s name and thank her also. You can’t imagine how grateful I am; I could have died if it wasn’t for her quick thinking and Tinky’s approval.
June Sueda
Moanalua
Dear June,
“Thank you for your kind words,” says Clarence “Tinky” Gray, supervisor, Transportation Services, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. “The ‘other gal’ you mentioned is Roberta Baptiste, who works at the hospital and just happened to be on the shuttle that day. We were both happy to help. The safety of our passengers is always our top priority. “
Dear Pamela,
A big thank you goes out to Cooper at Lex Brodie’s on Queen Street for fixing my husband’s Frontier truck free of charge. For the past couple of months, we noticed that the front of the truck shimmied when driving on the freeway. I was very concerned about it, especially because our teenage daughter also drives the truck. We thought something was wrong with the tires and imagined the repair would be costly. When my husband took the truck into Lex Brodie’s, Cooper had the tires balanced for us free of charge, and this repaired the truck. It is refreshing to go to a helpful business that even does something free of charge. Thank you, Cooper!
Debbie McCurdy
Kakaako
Dear Debbie,
Cooper Masani, who’s been working at Lex Brodie’s for the past 24 years, says, “Thank YOU very much (LOL). We do this all the time. We want to give them a good experience and make them feel welcomed here.”
Aloha Pamela,
I had a flat on the H-2 eastbound, so I called AAA. I was told that someone would come to help in 45 minutes. I was relieved since it was late afternoon.
About 45 minutes later, I got another call saying that the truck would be delayed another 45 minutes. I told that person that it would soon be dark and I was all alone. Fortunately, Police Officer J. Fernandez stopped to render aid. He got the spare tire out and tried his SUV jack, but it was too high. Without hesitation, he called Honda to find out where the jack would be in my minivan. He changed the tire and cautioned me to get off the freeway and drive no more than 40 miles.
A forever grateful senior citizen, I commend Officer J. Fernandez for his help in going beyond his normal duties and for assuring my safety when darkness fell.
Kay Yogi
Kaimuki
Dear Kay,
“Cpl. Jaret Fernandez is unselfish and always makes an extra effort to help anyone in need of assistance,” says Sgt. Lloyd Dabaluz, his supervisor. “This incident is just one of many that reflect Fernandez’s dedication to duty and to his community.”
If you know someone who deserves some Applause, send your letters to Pamela Young, MidWeek Applause, KITV, 801 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813. Include your name, phone number and, if possible, the phone number of your “applaudee” so we can contact him or her.
pyoung@kitv.com
