Brayden's Medical Fund

Nine-year-old Brayden Ka'ai is the pride and joy of his Grandparents, Lloyd and Mona-Lisa Ka'ai. When I heard that my dear friend and Maui Kaiser co-worker Mona's grandson had been hit by a car while riding his skateboard in his Wailuku neighborhood and suffered a life-threatening traumatic brain injury, my heart just broke. I have been working with Mona for several years. She has been Dr. Teoh's much-loved Medical Assistant (first at the old Wailuku clinic, and now at the newer Maui Lani Elua clinic) for about 6 years, but has worked for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii for 18 years. She is one of those members of the Kaiser Ohana who we all know we can count on for anything - kind, dependable, happy, supportive, and full of Aloha. So many of us who work with her at the Elua Clinic wanted to do something for Brayden, Mona, and the rest of the family and decided setting up this campaign was a good start to return some of that Aloha to a family that has given so much to others. 

Brayden's accident happened on January 24. As a result of being hit by the car, Brayden suffered a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury with damage to the frontal lobe of his brain. He also injured his entire cervical spine (neck) from C1 through C7. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Maui Memorial Medical Center and then Med-evaced to Queen's Hospital on Oahu with life threatening injuries. He has since been transferred to Kapi'olani Medical Center where he's remained in critical condition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Due to the nature of Brayden's injuries, he will have a long road to recovery. It is difficult to say at this time what the future holds for Brayden, but we do know he will need quite a bit of medical care, including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech / Language Therapy once he is out of the PICU and more stable. It is likely he may need an extended stay in a Rehab facility which would be located on Oahu. Brayden's primary caregivers live and work on Maui, which means a lot of travel expenses ahead for them (in addition to what they've already incurred), lost wages, possible expenses related to equipment and other needs for Brayden's function, all in addition to the mounting medical expenses. 

Mona-Lisa and Lloyd (Wailuku, Maui), as well as Brayden's parents Bryan Ka'ai (Waianae & Kapolei, Oahu) and Carleen Ignacio (Hilo side, Big Island), have asked me to thank the entire Maui, Waianae, and Big Island communities for their continued prayers, support, and kindness during this time.  There were many tears of appreciation for the outpouring of love they have felt from so many. Many, many Mahalos from the family.

Brayden's Aunty Krysten Ka'ai and I have been communicating about his progress and she's shared so much with me about Brayden's personality and what a special kid he is. I wanted to share some of that here -  Brayden is a fun, loving, and respectful child. He has so much love for his Mommy, Daddy, and the rest of his family. He is very close to his cousins Alkai, Lili, Jacestyn, and Skylar. He enjoys outdoor activities like going to the beach, fishing, diving, bow and arrow, and riding dirt bike. Brayden is a friendly kid and can easily make friends with other children and adults alike. He is in 3rd grade and attends Pu'u Kukui Elementary School where he has many friends who I am sure are missing him. 

If you are able to give to help Brayden and his family, any amount is appreciated. Please share this fundraising campaign with friends and family who might be willing to help out (or share), especially throughout the Hawaiian islands. Let's give back some of the Aloha this family gives to so many. I will try to post updates about Brayden's condition as I get them from the family. 

Mahalo!
Jennifer Harper Tapler (Maui)