Relay for Life fights
cancer with an all-nighter at
Kamehameha Kapālama

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola

For cancer survivor Gerry Johansen, one of the worst things about being diagnosed with the disease was the way the news was delivered to her 16 years ago. “In walked the doctor and said, 'Your tumor is malignant.' Next thing he says is, 'Do you want to be alone?' ”

Gerry Johansen. - Photo: Liza Simon

Alone? The vivacious Johansen decided then and there that coping with cancer should not be an isolated endeavor, but an opportunity to express to others the preciousness of life. “It was recommended to stay home, rest, but how many times can you clean the windows and screens?” she says with a laugh. So off to work she would go to Kamehameha Schools, where she is the alumni administrator. At the office, she often found herself consoling others who cried with concern for her. “That's when I realized the cancer was meant to lead me to this work of helping others. It helped me create a legacy.”

As part of this legacy, Johansen, whose colon cancer is now in remission, formed the HOPE Hui; that stands for Hawaiians Offering Positive Energies. Her group has been particularly active in providing cancer prevention education to Native Hawaiian women, who have the state's highest rate for breast cancer. HOPE Hui also offers general support to people fighting cancer and their caretakers and survivors just by reaching out and reminding them of the lesson that Johansen exemplifies so well: “There's so much to live for. You just have to make a choice and do something for yourself,” she said.

This summer Johansen is also the chairperson of the Relay for Life at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama campus, which happens Aug. 23, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Several schools throughout the state are also hosting similar relays, designed nationwide by the American Cancer Society to increase cancer prevention awareness and raise money for cancer cure research, while honoring the lives of people affected by cancer. The format for the relays is made up of races and entertainment spanning 12 hours from night till morning. Why the overnight activity? Johansen said it is meant to dramatize the message that “cancer never sleeps” and is best defeated when families and community members stay positive in facing down the disease.

For Kamehameha Schools' relay, which is open to alumni and family members, Johansen has found plenty of willing volunteers. Some are from her own class of 1960, which has lost 17 people to cancer. In putting out the call for volunteers, Johansen said many alumni were aware of new research showing Native Hawaiians are at a high risk for developing for some forms of cancer and they were also determined to do something to minimize this health threat. Johansen points out that breast cancer is believed to have claimed the life of the school's founder Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

In memory of Pauahi and the good times shared by the now absent classmates, Johansen is making sure that the Kamehameha relay has a special ho'olaule'a flavor. It will open with several hālau performances hosted by kumu hula and Relay for Life volunteers Manu Boyd and Vicky Holt Takamine. Johansen is especially looking forward to the moment when she and other cancer survivors from the ranks of Kamehameha alumni will literally walk the talk by proudly promenading together at Kunuiakea Stadium on the Kapālama campus.