If you haven’t already, meet Ed. He’s a man who’s always controlled his own destiny. Governed by non other than what feels right, serving others, and having the courage to live life to the fullest everyday.

To many in the Kailua community he’s known as Coach Ed. For the past 20 years he’s volunteered countless hours coaching AYSO soccer, led private keeper sessions, and coached the Kalaheo High School soccer teams as the JV and Varsity girls keeper coach, JV boys coach, Varsity boys coach, and most recently Varsity boys head coach. Over the years he has shared in OIA victories, state tournaments, and the college preparation of players. Coach Ed has invested years of his own life feeding success into the students around him.

To his family, he’s known as Eddie or better yet, Dad. A navy veteran, waterman, a free spirit, and someone who hates to sit still - life with Ed is an adventure every day. Our weekends consist of driving to Haleiwa to catch the sunset, camping and diving in Mokuleia, hiking, body surfing, and relaxing at the boat ramp in Kailua. His wife Tara loves to say in the past 31 years “there’s never a dull moment”.

In November of 2025, Ed started displaying symptoms of what would later be diagnosed in March of 2026 as Stage 3 Esophageal Cancer.

Caused by years of chronic acid reflux, or GERD, due to a hiatal hernia, the normal tissue of Ed’s esophagus changed to a type of tissue resembling that of the intestines - a condition called Barrett’s Esophagus. Although not always a precursor to esophageal cancer, Ed’s Barrett’s Esophagus displayed signs of High Grade Dysplasia, or high counts of cell abnormality. After receiving an endoscopy and performing a biopsy, the results were positive for stage 3 Esophageal Cancer, in the form of a malignant tumor located in the lower third of his esophagus.

What’s this mean?

For starters, Queen’s Medical Center has him scheduled for blood, heart, and lung tests to examine his overall health to determine if he is a surgical candidate. Following those appointments, he’ll need rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor located in his esophagus. From there, he’ll receive an invasive two day, 12 hour surgery: an esophagectomy. The surgeon will remove the cancerous section of esophagus, and reconstruct his stomach attaching it to what is left of his healthy esophagus. Following surgery, he’ll be hospitalized for 2 weeks and on a feeding tube for 4 months. It will be a long road to recovery.

As his family gets him the best care possible, the financial hardship will be another challenge to overcome. His wife Tara intends to adjust to part-time work in order to provide care for Ed. With your donation, you’ll be supplementing their income as they step away from work, allowing Ed to receive advanced wellness treatments, and covering the cost of out of pocket medical expenses.

Thank you for your generosity! Your support and love means everything to him at this time. We encourage his community to call, text, and show up for him whenever possible.