Join Keliʻi's Fight Against Brain Cancer

Kokua for Keliʻi: Our Brave Warrior Battling Brain Cancer

Aloha friends and ʻohana,

As some of you may know, our beloved Keliʻi, 13, has been diagnosed with a high-grade glioma, an aggressive brain cancer. After weeks of headaches and fatigue, we took Keliʻi to the ER where we learned he had an egg-sized tumor growing on the left side of his brain that was pushing into the right. We were medevacked to Kapiʻolani Medical Center, where Keliʻi had brain surgery on May 3 to remove part of the tumor. This sudden news has been a shock to our whole ‘ohana.

Throughout it all, Keliʻi continues to be his loving self, bringing joy to everyone around him. His courage and resilience inspire us. However, he now faces a long road of treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation.

Doctors were only able to remove about 60% of the mass, so now Keli‘i faces an incredibly complex and high-risk surgery in San Francisco. His case presents unique challenges as he has a rare mutation. Limited research exists on this mutation.

This operation will require a large team of specialized surgeons since Keli‘i will need to stay awake throughout the procedure so doctors can avoid damaging crucial areas of his brain that control things like his vision, movement, and speech.

His doctor at Kapiʻolani said he’d never seen this type of surgery needed on a child in his 40-year career. Thankfully, Keliʻi should get world-class treatment. He is in the hands of a nationally recognized surgeon specializing in brain tumor treatment. This doctor typically doesn’t work with children, but he graciously accepted Keli‘i’s case once he saw Keli‘i’s scans.

As we continue to support Keli‘i in his fight, I’ve had to quit my job to focus entirely on getting him the care he needs. Now, we're leaving our home, ʻohana, and my other children in Hawaii to go to California for this surgery. As a mother, it breaks my heart to miss out on precious moments with Manoa and Kahiau, but right now, we need to focus on giving Keliʻi the best chance to fight this.

With extensive medical costs, travel expenses, and ongoing treatments, any donations would help lighten the heavy burden on our ʻohana. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, will help us focus more on what matters most - Keli‘i.

If you’d like to support, my Venmo and Cash App information is below. If you cannot at this time, please keep Keli‘i in your prayers and share this post. Mahalo nui loa for the support.

Venmo: @Kiana-Limahai | Cash App: @kianaknl

#Kokua4Kelii