Support Glenda Frederick and her Family

Yesterday—Sunday, September 18th, 2022—our grandmother, mother, and beloved Maui community member Glenda Frederick took her last breaths and became our newest ancestor, joining her soulmate, Roy Robinson. Her transition from her body took place just five weeks after we found out that she had a cancerous tumor. Our family has been in rapid response over the last month, and because of this, we are only now able to let the wider community know about what has been going on.

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On August 16th, Glenda checked herself into the ER with stomach pains. Her doctors found tumors in her small intestine and liver and prompted her to get surgery right away in order to remove the tumors. Unfortunately, in her first 48 hours in the hospital, she contracted pneumonia, which weakened her and ruled out the original plan for removing the largest and most problematic tumor. After a nearly two-week recovery in the hospital from pneumonia, she was able to have some tumors in her liver successfully removed, but the recovery process post-op proved to weaken her further. Swelling in her stomach barred her from eating or drinking, and a build-up of bile required her to be intubated to have it consistently pumped out. Because of the complications following her initial procedure, the larger tumor that brought her into the ER had grown so rapidly that surgery was no longer an option. Other treatment plans like chemotherapy were taken off the table as her body was so weakened by not eating or drinking. Just three weeks after she checked into the hospital, her doctors let our family know that she only had a few weeks left to live.

In the wake of her illness, amidst wanting to spend as much quality time as possible with her, our family has been faced with major financial and bureaucratic difficulties. Glenda, who is on Section 8 housing (HUD), had been issued an eviction. We’ve also struggled to find housing for her brother Wayne, who has developmental disabilities and requires 24-hour care. In the spring, he was illegally discharged from his home, putting Glenda in the position of providing him full-time care. Glenda’s daughter, Celena, has dropped everything to fly to Maui, where she’s taken on Wayne’s care, tackling the massively complex task of having him rehoused and attending to all of Glenda’s paperwork and needs. Glenda’s grandchildren, Kailea, Izé, and Viva, also flew in to support with caregiving, the move-out process and to spend valuable time with their grandmother in her last weeks.

All of this has been a lot to integrate, hold, and tend to in only a month's time. Our family is working to accomplish everything, but the burden is too much for us to carry alone. Glenda did not have a savings account, so her grandchildren have had to absorb all of the emergency costs. We are asking our extended family and community to come together to help us raise $20,000 for support with her after-life costs, Wayne’s care, and the last-minute travel costs we have all incurred.

Those who know Glenda will know that she has devoted her life to caregiving and activism, standing up fearlessly to injustice and providing the most tender, compassionate love to children and elders in her care. In the past, she was a talented preschool teacher and CNA, and many folks know and love her from the Maui Temple of Peace, Waipuna Chapel, local protests, and other various support groups. Anything you can give to help this dearly adored mother, grandmother, aunty, sister, and friend during this difficult time is deeply appreciated.

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For those who would like to pay their respects and say their goodbyes, our family will be hosting a vigil open to the public on September 20th, 2022 at Doorway Into Light in Haiku from 5-7 pm. This will be a chance to come to sit with her body and write a message on her casket. Her memorial service will take place this Saturday on Maui. We will share an update here with details in the coming day.