In Hawaii, Someone Dies by Suicide Every Other Day – National Survivors of Suicide Day

In observance of the 13th Annual National Survivors of Suicide Day, the Hawai‘i State Department of Health in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will present the “Prevent Suicide: Survivors, Provider and Community Partners In-Action Hawai‘i Conference 2012,” on Wednesday, November 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge in Honolulu, located in Kapi‘olani Park. Each November, survivors of suicide loss come together at healing conferences in their communities nationwide for support and guidance.

In Hawai`i, this year’s conference is being held to acknowledge the grief that survivors experience and to provide hope and assistance for them in an atmosphere of support and healing. The conference will also address the community need for education and information among service and health care providers, school personnel and professional caregivers. Sessions will be offered on survivor debriefing, healing through the arts, and strategic planning for suicide prevention in Hawai‘i. This year’s conference themes are hope (man‘olana), help (kokua), and healing (ho‘ola).

Conference keynote speakers include Dr. Kamana‘opono Crabbe, Chief Executive Officer of Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Dr. David Brown, Regional Director, Behavioral Health, Pacific Regional Medical Command, Tripler Army Medical Center; and Dr. Ishmael Stagner, Program Specialist at Alu Like.

In addition to the DOH Injury Prevention and Control Program and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, conference sponsors include Hawai‘i Suicide Prevention, Education, Awareness, and Research (SPEAR); and Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center.

The conference will be enhanced by an Awareness Walk in Kapi‘olani Park at 5 p.m. and an Aloha Reception at 6:30 p.m. at Elks Lodge. Both events will be held on November 14, the same day as the conference. For registration information for the conference, walk and reception, contact Pua Kaninau-Santos at (808) 271-8582 or kkanina@qlcc.org

One million people die by suicide every year in the United States. In Hawai‘i, someone dies by suicide every other day. These individuals leave behind countless family members and friends to make sense of the tragedy. Survivors often experience a wide range of grief reactions, including anger, shock, and symptoms of depression and guilt.

Memorial Services Set for Guy Toyama

Memorial Services for Guy – Friday, November 30, 2012

Guy Toyama gave a presentation at the 2012 Sam Choy’s Keauhou Poke Contest

Kona Hongwanji (81-6630 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua – near Kona Community Hospital)

Service from 3pm

Big Island Police Identify Body Found at Waikini Beach

Big Island police have identified a body found November 3 at Waikini Beach in Kaʻū as 48-year-old Terry Lee Day, who lived in the Ocean View area but had no permanent address.

“Voices From Our Past: Diversity and Independence in Kona’s Oral Histories” To Be Presented Tomorrow

The Kona Historical Society will present the next lecture in its Hanohano ‘O Kona series at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 14 at the West Hawai’i Civic Center on Kealakehe Parkway in Kona.

Ann Kern will be presenting a lecture entitled “Voices From Our Past: Diversity and Independence in Kona’s Oral Histories.” The lecture series is held in cooperation with the Office of Mayor Billy Kenoi.

The Kona Historical Society connects the past, current and future generations and inspires an appreciation for Kona’s unique island heritage. Check out the society’s website at www.konahistorical.org, or contact the society at khs@konahistorical.org or by phone at (808) 323-3222.

Related articles

• Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise Makes Care Packages for Folks Deployed to Afghanistan (damontucker.com)
• County of Hawai’i Non-Profit Grants Informational Meetings (damontucker.com)
• Rest In Peace Guy Toyama – The “Mayor” of NELHA (damontucker.com)

Taste Tamarillos at Free Ultra-Exotic Fruit Event

Have you ever bit into a bilimbi or tasted tamarillos? Known as ultra-exotic fruits, these not-so-well-known edibles are among a growing number of odd fruits that are intriguing island chefs and shoppers.

Tamarillos

Taste test tamarillos 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, November 16 at Island Naturals-Hilo. Chef Rob Love of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel will demonstrate how to use tamarillos and offer samples. The store will stock the fruit in their produce section and attendees will receive recipes and tamarillo info to take home.

The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) is presenting the fruity fun to build markets for several tropical fruit rarities. HTFG members are growing a wide variety of ultra-exotic tropical fruits and they say the fruits are under-utilized by the mainstream market. Ultra-exotics under cultivation in Hawaii include Surinam cherry, calamonsie, jackfruit, pummelo, chico, lychee, white sapote, mangosteen and others.

Also known as tree tomatoes, the egg-shaped tamarillo is native to South America. Its flesh is “tangy and variably sweet with a bold and complex flavor,” according to HTFG President Ken Love, who will join his son, Chef Rob, for the demonstration.

Titled “New Markets for Ultra-Exotic Fruits,” the free event series is funded by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture through a USDA competitive grant program to foster small farm sustainability. A total of eight events are planned around the state. For more information, contact Love at ken@mycoffee.net or 808 (969-7926).

Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

Incorporated in 1989 to promote tropical fruit grown in Hawaii, HTFG is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion; http://www.htfg.org.

Play on Pasta in Tree Tomato Sauce

By Chef Rob Love, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel – Serves 5

Ingredients:

• 2 Large locally grown Purple Sweet potatoes6 tree tomatoes / tamarillos
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1tsp red salt
• 1Tbl chopped basil
• 1Tbl parsley

Procedure:

Shred sweet potatoes paper thin on mandolin or slicer. Salt and set aside until pliable.  Cut tree tomatoes in half and chop. In a large bowl mix in brown sugar, basil and parsley followed by the sweet potato slices folded in half.  Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Big Island Police Seeking Witnesses to Crash in Front of Hirano Store

Big Island police are renewing their request for witnesses to a two-vehicle crash in front of Hirano Store on October 11 or anyone who saw either vehicle before the crash on Highway 11.

Responding to a 4:35 p.m. call on October 11, traffic investigators determined that a 2001 Ford four-door station wagon was traveling on Highway 11 and made a turn into Hirano Store.

A 33-year old woman from Glenwood in a Dodge van crossed the centerline to avoid a collision but struck the Ford.

The driver of the Ford station wagon, John K. Isabel Jr. of Glenwood, was dead at the scene. Fire Department rescue personnel took the woman to Hilo Medical Center.

Traffic was stopped in both directions. (Photo courtesy of Merle Gormick)

Police ask that anyone who observed either vehicle before or during the the crash call Officer Tuckloy Aurello at 961-8119.

Big Island Police Searching for Witnesses to Fatal Car Accident

Big Island police are renewing their request for witnesses to a motor vehicle/motorcycle crash on July 13 or anyone who saw either vehicle before the crash at the intersection of Kinoʻole Street and Mohouli Street.

Responding to a 10:05 p.m. call on July 13, South Hilo patrol officers determined that 55-year-old Earl M. Arakaki of Hilo had been operating a 2007 Honda motorcycle and traveling north on Kinoʻole Street when a 67-year-old woman from Kailua-Kona operating a 2003 Honda four-door sedan and traveling south on Kinoʻole Street failed to yield the right of way and made a left turn in front of him.

Fire Department rescue personnel took Arakaki to Hilo Medical Center, where he remained confined until his death on August 26.

The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

Police ask that anyone who observed either driver before or during the crash call Officer Tuckloy Aurello at 961-8119.

Waimea Paddler Spurs Fight Against Breast Cancer in “Hulakai Race to Fitness”

Derek Park had a question—which led to an idea. What if persons dedicated themselves to improving the wellness and safety of others by taking on activities that enhanced their own health?

A familiar part of the idea will be displayed when Derek picks up his paddle in the November 17 “Hulakai Race to Fitness,” an event that will begin at Richardson’s and end at Hilo Bay. The proceeds from his local sponsorship, notably businesses and individuals, will go to supporting patients who need financial assistance for early breast cancer treatment from North Hawaii Community Hospital’s (NHCH) new Breast Health Program. “It’s people like Derek who give real meaning to the word kokua and embrace the entire community with their deeds,” stressed NHCH Vice President of Development, Marketing, and Communications Kerry Howell.

Derek Park

A five-year member of the Parker Ranch maintenance crew, Derek is a seasoned veteran of paddling competitions. His concerns about breast cancer are anything but impersonal. Years ago, Derek’s mother suffered multiple treatments for a malignant breast tumor and eventually underwent a mastectomy.

Moving to the Big Island seven years ago, he was still reflecting on her ordeal. “When I began paddling, I thought to myself, ‘I’m young, I’m healthy.’ Then I’d go home and realize how I’d love to know that my life could inspire other people to do good things, whether it’s beating breast cancer or something else.”

Derek’s decision was further strengthened by his friend and fellow paddler, Chris Landers, who was killed in a head-on car collision. “Chris always put every other person’s concerns ahead of his own,” he recalled.

Actions to fulfill his convictions were not long in coming. One earlier running competition, the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, sent a potent message of support to breast cancer victims. “The goal is to increase my sponsorship for the races and give all the proceeds to patients in need,” he explained.

November 17 will mark Derek’s second entry in the Hulakai Race, which offers still another unique boost to his mission. The competition’s promoter, Jun Balanga, is no less committed to fostering wellness on the Big Island, viewing paddling as a truly Hawaiian vehicle for doing so. Or, as Derek said, “Any race he (Jun) puts together, I’ll be in.”

In his drive to “help others be healthy,” Derek clearly grasps the power of the visual. Designing his own “Paddling for Hope” logo, he was struck by the tendency of paddlers to strictly wear black or white. What to do? “I want to be the only guy wearing pink,” Derek enthused, “until every guy there wears pink and will be racing for something! People will say, ‘Look, he’s racing for NHCH which wants to make sure women can get mammograms’, or some other cause for staying healthy.”

NHCH’s new Breast Health Program offers patients access to a the latest cutting edge digital mammography technology, a more comfortable exam experience, faster image analysis and on-going support, in coordination with Hawaii’s new mammography self-referral law, which took effect on July 1st, 2012. For more information or to schedule an annual mammogram appointment, please contact NHCH’s Breast Health Program at 881-4882.

NHCH Background: North Hawaii Community Hospital (NHCH) is a rural 33-bed acute care hospital located in Kamuela, on Hawai‘i Island. Non-profit and locally governed, the hospital opened in May 1996 and cares for Hawai‘i Island residents and visitors. NHCH offers an extensive set of hospital services that are centered on patient needs, creating a healing experience for the whole person – mind, body and spirit. Please visit http://www.NHCH.com for more information