Aloha Family and Friends,

On the evening of Friday, February 3rd Gavin Kaniela Hapakuka suffered a massive seizure while in his Las Vegas home and was rushed to the hospital by family and friends. Ela was immediately admitted into the ICU where he was intubated and placed on a ventilator because he could not breathe on his own.

After further labs, tests and imaging, a large mass was found in his brain and he was diagnosed with Astrocytoma, which is a type of cancer that forms in the brain. Further tests are being done to find out how severe and aggressive this type of Astrocytoma is and if it can still be treated. At this point, the mass is too large to operate on and remove, so chemotherapy and radiation may be his only options.

On Monday, February 6th, Ela was successfully taken off the ventilator and is breathing and talking on his own. Right now he seems to be himself, joking around with his nurses and telling the doctors, he hungry! His wife Wahine has been by his side and trying to update family and friends, while also going back and forth from home to the hospital to take care of their kids, fortunately, Ela’s Aunty Sheree and their daughter Kolaiki have been a big help. They also have two kids in Maui, a senior at Lahainaluna and a strong-willed third grader that decided to stay home in Hana, Maui to pursue her education at Kula Kaiopuni ‘O Hana. Ela’s mom and siblings are also on Maui and the entire family is getting ready to fly to Las Vegas in support of Ela and Wahine.

As most of you know, both Ela and Wahine have suffered immense losses over the past two years. Ela lost his dad, Donovan Lono in March of 2021, his uncle Nathan Nunuha in January of 2022 and Wahine lost her dad in June of 2022. Kaniela has been working so hard to provide for his family these past three years and has had to make a lot of sacrifices, including being away from his wife and kids. And now that his family has finally been reunited, they were given an even harder obstacle to overcome.

Kaniela, Wahine and their children have seen many struggles, but if you know them they are one of the kindest families in the world. Ela always knows how to make you feel so comfortable and you can carry a conversation with him knowing that he won't judge you and is an absolute joker. Wahine has one of the biggest hearts and their kids always find the better in any given situation, they are so resilient and fearless. When I imagine all of their faces, they are always smiling.

But, because life can be difficult at times, we humbly ask for your support. Please continue to pray for Ela and his ohana.

Thank you…