• Kamehameha ruling positive • Will Lingle preserve and protect Koke‘e? • Make ‘em wear pink underwear Clear hurdle for cancer patients Gene Redden’s letter in The Garden Island (‘Hope Lodge’ needed, Letters, Dec. 7) concerning the need for a
• Kamehameha ruling positive
• Will Lingle preserve and protect Koke‘e?
• Make ‘em wear pink underwear
Clear hurdle for cancer patients
Gene Redden’s letter in The Garden Island (‘Hope Lodge’ needed, Letters, Dec. 7) concerning the need for a “Hope Lodge” on O‘ahu could not be more correct. Thank you, Gene, for caring and for trying to do something about at least one aspect of the seemingly insurmountable hurdles cancer patients on Kaua‘i must face.
We are at a life-threatening disadvantage here for several reasons.
First, we do not even have a full-time, resident oncologist, let alone the 2.5 oncologists that our population statistically should have to ensure appropriate care.
Second, while the chemotherapy nurses and treatment given on Kaua‘i are top quality, it is available only part time, on only a few days a month, and not to all patients. Many of our people must go to O‘ahu.
Third, we have no radiation facility on Kaua‘i. Everyone who needs it must go off-island, often for long periods of time and most typically to O‘ahu.
If you are rich enough, you can go anywhere for treatment. If you have relatives on O‘ahu you can stay with for a month or two (or longer) who are willing to feed you and drive you back and forth five days a week to one or even two facilities a day for treatment, well, consider yourself very lucky.
Then there is the majority of our population who do not have all the options. As a volunteer who deals with cancer patients every day, I feel compelled to voice my concern on behalf of the hundreds of cancer patients who come into our office each year. I did my own calculating and tried to come up with realistic figures on how much extra it costs for a Kaua‘i resident to go off-island for radiation, as opposed to someone who lives where they can simply drive to treatment and then go home.
Of course it depends on how extravagant a person wants to be. The minimum figure for a six-week stay would lie somewhere over $4,000 — and usually much higher. These minimum costs include one round-trip airfare, hotel, food and ground transportation (a patient can cut costs by taking the bus instead of a taxi, but, then, most cancer patients are too tired, weak, sick and worn out to walk to, wait for, and climb onto a bus).
Except in rare instances, insurance does not cover these expenses, which must be borne by the patient and his or her family.
I know we can’t solve all our probelms immediately, but there are a couple of things we can do to help ourselves and our neighbors.
Like Gene, I urge the entire state to support the concept of establishing a Hope Lodge in Honolulu. Cancer patients from our Hawaiian Islands and from around the Pacific need help with housing expenses.
Hope Lodges are havens of nurture and emotional support for people struggling to survive. They are free for cancer patients who have to leave home to get the treatment every person deserves.
I also urge everyone to contact their legislators and tell them that you support efforts to decrease or eliminate taxes on medical services.
Most local insurance plans, including HMSA, UHA and HMAA refuse to cover the general excise tax as a plan benefit for patients. Now, the state wants to impose an additional one-half percent tax on all state residents to help pay for the rapid transit system on O‘ahu.
No other state in the nation taxes medical services to support transportation, and the majority of states impose no tax on medical services at all. Let’s get our priorities straight.
Dolly Kikuchi, cancer survivor
Cancer Widow Patient Services volunteer, Kaua‘i office, American Cancer
Society
Left me heartbroken
I was heartbroken on Thursday, Dec. 7, when I saw on the evening news the tragic pictures of the 17 nearly dead starving dogs in Anahola, and learning that three more dogs lay dead on the property as these were being rescued. Then the next morning we all saw on the front page of The Garden Island — the large color picture of that pitiful dog with the sweet eyes simply pleading to be loved by someone who’d care for it. How this human, Steve A. Cummings, the owner of these dogs, could leave them tied up or in small cages to die of starvation and dehydration is beyond comprehension. Now is the time, for whoever the judge will be to try this case, to sentence this person to the most severe punishment that the law allows. The public will simply not tolerate atrocities like this to continue without the strongest penalty being imposed. There is no excuse for this type of occurrence, no defense of this behavior should be accepted. Dr. Becky Rhoades, Kauai Humane Society’s executive director, has spelled out exactly what the penalty for this occurrence could, and in my opinion should, be. Twenty counts of animal cruelty receives up to one year for each count and/or $2,000 fine. We can forget the fine in this case because Cummings would probably never pay it. Twenty counts of animal desertion receives up to 30 days in jail for each count and/or $1,000 fine. (Again, forget the fine. Even if he did pay it, it would mean nothing to him, simply a slap on the wrist.) The only thing that will be meaningful to him and anyone else who might be treating their animals in the same manner will be serving their time in jail. That means time confined in a cell. A cell that is much nicer than the “cells” he had his dogs endure.
Cummings arraignment will be in District Court on Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. It might be interesting to be in the courtroom that day to hear how he pleads. Later it will be determined if he should be allowed to keep his dogs or surrender them to the Humane Society to be adopted by people who will love and care for them. This should be a “no brainer.” Anyone with an ounce of brains wouldn’t have to think twice about it. This man, Cummings, should never be allowed to own dogs, cats, pigs or any animal for the remainder of his life.
Gini Stoddard
Wailua
To arms
It is with the most heart-wrenching sadness that I must now admit that Morton Kondracke (Media Voices, Dec. 10) and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia are right. The only answer to the wretched conflict in the Arab World is all out war. Every patriotic American, male or female, between the ages of 18 and 45, must don uniform, pick up a gun, and, with great pride and confidence, enlist. In proud battalions this multitude of dedicated warriors must join the force and kill all assassins, terrorists and demagogues wherever they may be. We can only pray the theatre of battle is limited to the Middle East, but we must be prepared to fight here at home if necessary. Wherever the forces of evil rear their heads loyal Americans must be prepared to fight them. It is a holy and just war upon which we venture.
Those of us on the homefront must be prepared to sacrifice our treasures, our lives, all our possession — our children and grandchildren — to the cause. This will be a long war. Ten years, 20. But in the end the righteous will prevail.
The pursuit of peace is much too perilous to consider.
How does one counter madness? … with madness. If you think this is not written tongue in cheek, think again.
Peace and Love.
Bettejo Dux
Kalaheo
