...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 10 feet.
* WHERE...All surrounding coastal waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
For Oki, getting dialysis treatments three times a week for four and a half hours each time is taking a heavy toll on her body -- a struggle she's hoping others will avoid.
Nanakuli resident Merrilee Oki once donated a kidney to save the life of her younger brother.
She said she lived well for many years with a single kidney.
Now, almost 50 years later -- her own survival's tied to a dialysis machine.
"Either that or death -- that's an option that you have," she told KITV4.
She said her lifestyle eventually caught up to her.
"I think over the years just not taking good care of myself," Oki said. "The series of illnesses that I had -- kidney stones, diabetes, high blood pressure, overeating all that, I think led to this."
Oahu's newest dialysis clinic -- Liberty Dialysis -- held an open house today on the Waianae Coast, the home of many Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who comprise almost 20 percent of those with kidney failure in the islands.
Hawaii has more than 5,700 patients on dialysis and that population is growing at about 5% every year. And dialysis clinics are unable to keep up with the demand.
"It is alarming the way it's growing. It's alarming in every way really," said Dr. Arie Ganz, a kidney specialist. "The problem is even though we're serving a lot of patients ... there's still a lot of other patients that we are not seeing yet."
And that's why doctors are urging people to live healthy lifestyles -- being mindful of their diets and exercising.
"It is preventable, we can control it, we can avoid having more patients on dialysis if we do something in time," Ganz said.
For Oki, getting dialysis treatments three times a week for four and a half hours each time is taking a heavy toll on her body -- a struggle she's hoping others will avoid.
"I would do better to be healthy," Oki said. "But I'm grateful that we have this machine to extend our lives, you know, but it's not easy."
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
