On a Monday in June, Joshua Ka‘ili Walters contracted the flu. What would normally have been a week of Netflix and chicken soup for most people quickly escalated into an emergency situation requiring medevac to Oahu by the following Sunday.
Walters developed extreme weakness and loss of vision, both symptoms of a veritable nightmare — he had developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
The National Institute of Health estimates that one in 100,000 people are affected by Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) every year. It is a rare condition that has been linked to certain respiratory infections such as influenza and, more recently, Zika.
While the cause is unknown, unfortunately it is on the rise. GBS damages nerve cells by triggering the immune system to attack fatty myelin sheaths and nerve axons, necessary for rapid conductance of electrochemical signals from the brain.
As a result, motor function is impaired and can trigger weakness, or in some cases paralysis, within hours or days of onset. Most patients recover, but nerves take a long time to heal and certainly the disruption to lives and livelihoods can be far more profound and long-lasting.
A loving husband and father of two, Walters and his wife, Crystal, lead a busy life enjoying the outdoors with family and friends.
As a talented musician, he can often be found entertaining throughout the island, lending his guitar and vocal skills as a regular at Rob’s Good Times Grill or performing at weddings and birthday parties. He is employed at Curtis Law Construction and is rebuilding a home in Kalaheo for his family, a project now suspended while he is in recovery.
Walters’ love of civic duty runs deep. Dedicated to serving the Hawaiian community, he volunteers with Ke Hoola o Lima Lani-Hale Pihana ka Ikena, a nonprofit for the traditional healing arts, where he freely devotes time to counseling local young men. A steward of holistic grounding, he teaches martial arts and woodworking, plays makahiki games and supports healing through lomilomi.
“(Josh) has taken part and led many of our community activities,” said Sean Chun, cultural resource and community advancement coordinator. “He has been there to mentor the young Hawaiian men as well as help other men and families through teaching and mentoring.”
Since being diagnosed in June, Walters has been released from the hospital and is attending outpatient physical and occupational therapy in Honolulu.
His road to recovery will be long, rife with challenges and uncertainty. Fatigue, numbness in his limbs and double vision plague his daily routines, and it is unclear when he will be able to return to work as a carpenter or musician, let alone be able to operate a vehicle or complete construction on his family home.
While he slowly works towards recovery, his family is amazed at the outpouring of love they have received. His cousin, Mahealani Contrades Brun, describes it as the “true sense of aloha.” Brun was touched by the spirit of friends, family and strangers reaching out to offer support and aid.
The family has created a GoFundMe page for those wishing to help, and appreciate any contribution to the $125,000 goal. That sum would contribute to medical treatment, help support the family and prepare their home for Walters’ return.
“(He) is always one to give freely of himself, never questioning why or how, but just to spend his time giving and sharing his unlimited aloha,” the page says. “Ua ola loko I ke aloha, Love gives life from within.”
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Info: www.gofundme.com/joshua-ka039ili-walters
I wish this young man well. I am disturbed that in this ‘great’ nation our health insurance is so inadequate that we are forced to ‘gofundme’ for medical expenses, which of course the doctors rake in. Maybe suggest MD’s contribute some pro bono time to their patients until our health care system sustains costs.