By John Rhoden
We are raising our Native Hawaiian grandson Kaimana, who is 6 years old. Kaimana’s mother, (our daughter) Jayna, passed away in 2019 from a ruptured brain aneurysm while she was pregnant with Kaimana. He was born extremely premature and spent five months in the NICU fighting for his life.
In April 2020, we brought Kaimana home and have cared for him ever since, providing unwavering love and support. Kaimana suffers from severe cerebral palsy and brain damage. He is blind, cannot speak, control his arms or legs, hold his head up, sit, stand, walk or eat normally (he is fed through g-tube).
I’m a service-disabled veteran. My wife, JoAnne, and I are living on a fixed retirement income. We could not have foreseen or planned for the tragedy that led us to adopt Kaimana, and this has strained our finances. Kaimana has therapies not covered by insurance and requires expensive special medical supplies.
Kaimana requires a wheelchair full-time and has multiple therapeutic medical and specialist appointments every week. He has grown so much we can no longer carry him easily. To ensure he can get to these appointments safely and comfortably, we are raising funds to purchase a wheelchair-accessible minivan.
The wheelchair ramp conversion and tie-down safety system will be covered through an assistance program, so every dollar donated will go solely toward purchasing the minivan itself. Without this van, Kaimana cannot access the care he needs to thrive.
We love Kaimana dearly. He is a blessing in our lives and provides us with a perspective that allows us to focus on the important things in life. We embrace the sacrifices and hardships but could really use a little help.
Our community has already shown us so much love, and we are humbled to have to ask for more. Aloha is a way of life and the belief that we are bound to one another; that the wellbeing of one is the concern of all. We believe that spirit lives in every person who has ever loved someone they would do anything for.
We are raising funds to purchase a minivan for Kaimana through Go Fund Me and no contribution is too small. Mahalo nui loa from the bottom of our hearts.
