By Diane Yukihiro Chang
Monday, May 13, 1996
The truth is that heroes are everywhere. They can unite a community through their feats - such as winning sports matches, saving other people's lives or doing nothing particularly headline-grabbing at all.
So here's an aloha-filled salute to:
Led by grim-faced guru Mike Wilton, the Rainbow players slammed, dinked and aced their way to celebrity status. On court, they were tenacious; off court, gracious. They "suffered" through hours of signing autographs, smiling for photos, suffocating under leis and wearing balloon hats fashioned by admirers.
When the team made the Final Four, nearly 4,000 boosters made the pilgrimage with them to Smogsville. UH fell to sassy UCLA, but still returned to a hero's welcome. The whole experience gave Hawaii residents a chance to forget about the recession, job layoffs and a particularly lame legislative session.
Spiritually, we were all on that volleyball court. We were as tall as Yuval Katz, as graceful as Erik Pichel, as high-flying and emotional as Aaron Wilton. Reign! Bows!
Who hasn't prayed for Alana Dung, the cute and tenacious 2-year-old battling leukemia? Remember when the request went out for local blood donors to find a bone marrow match for her? It was like asking for a glass of water and getting thrown into the Pacific Ocean.Thousands of people have turned out to the delight of the Hawaii Bone Marrow Registry. It was the first time many had even heard about the need for such transplants. Alana is almost single-handedly responsible for educating, motivating and possibly saving the lives of people she doesn't even know.
Right now, the clock is this child's greatest enemy. The chemotherapy keeps the cancer cells at bay, but she needs a compatible donor, pronto. It's not surprising that Hawaii's people have raced forward in response.
'Fess up, friends and neighbors, most of us give a damn about our fellow human beings. Sometimes it's embarrassing to admit it and we certainly don't get very many chances to prove it. Miss Alana Dung, however, has given us a way to show that we care.
WHICH simply reaffirms the moral of this column. True valor isn't only displayed by outstanding athletes with winning records or little people who inspire big people to do good deeds.
The MVPs of this community are all around us. They are the ones going out of their way to root for the Rainbow volleyball team or taking time to donate blood to help a little girl.
They are also the everyday folks who work hard, obey the law, pay their taxes, vote, drive carefully and strive to keep Hawaii a safe, clean, beautiful place in which to exist. They struggle to pay the bills and raise their children to the best of their abilities. Some of them are children.
Remember that the next time you're looking for a hero. Need a mirror?