CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Hoku Aki held a news conference yesterday to thank everyone for their support.

Kauai teen beats
expectations in coping
with shark attack

He is eager to get on with his life

To help

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Seventeen-year-old Hoku Aki is eager to get back to his life a week after he was attacked by a shark at Brennecke's Beach on Kauai.

"I never thought this would happen to me. ... I can't stop my life because of it. I just gotta keep going and just make the best of it," said Aki, whose left leg was amputated above the knee after the attack.

At a news conference yesterday at the Queen's Medical Center, Aki thanked his family, friends and strangers who have supported him since the attack.

"People that I've never known before, never seen in my life, that all helps, too. I'm thankful for that," Aki said.

Dr. Byron Izuka, orthopedic surgeon at Queen's, said, Aki is expected to return to Kauai by the end of the week.

"Hoku is doing very well," Izuka said.

The surgeon added that the 17-year-old has exceeded his expectations "as far as coping both mentally and physically."

"He's mature beyond his age," Izuka said.

"He is very strong-willed. He has a very strong support network," he added.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM With his father Harmon Aki, with his arms crossed, and mom Raene Aki, far right, looking on, shark attack victim Hoku Aki and Dr. Byron Izuka addressed the media at Queen's Medical Center yesterday.

On March 25, Aki was bodyboarding in murky waters at Brennecke's Beach when he was pulled underwater by a shark. Aki managed to swim toward the shore after he punched the shark and gouged its eye.

A Colorado nurse vacationing on Kauai immediately tended to Aki by compressing his left leg with a towel. The bodyboarder did not realize his foot was gone until he was in the ambulance.

Based on the wound, authorities believe the shark was a tiger shark.

Aki's father, Harmon, was thankful to the Colorado woman as well as others who helped his son.

"We're very grateful that the people were in the places that they were in," Harmon said.

Aki looks forward to attending his senior prom and participating in the May Day program, where he was elected king for the second time.

He also plans to return to Oahu next month to participate in the StarQuest state championship May 4-5 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Meanwhile, Aki continues to undergo physical therapy twice a day and remains on pain medication. After graduation, Aki said he is unsure whether he plans to attend college, but said he would like to make a Hawaiian/reggae compact disc. Aki, who plays the ukulele, six- and 12-string guitar and drums, said music has helped ease his mind since the attack.

"It relaxes my mind. It gives me thoughts about things that I never thought of before," he said.

"It helps me think of life that I must appreciate more," said Aki, adding how he gained a better appreciation for his family, friends and others.

Aki is expected to get fitted for a temporary prosthesis at Shriners Hospital for Children in Honolulu. "I wanna be walking again. I wanna start running," Aki said.

"I'm really looking forward to my new prosthesis. I hope it works well. I'm gonna be testing it to the fullest," he added.

Izuka asked for donations from the public, as prosthetic costs throughout Aki's lifetime are estimated at $500,000.

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To help Donations for Hoku Aki can be sent to: Hoku Aki Fund c/o The Kauai Community Foundation Credit Union 4434 Hardy St. Lihue, HI 96766 or Friends of Hokuanu Aki c/o First Hawaiian Bank 4423 Rice St. Lihue, HI 96766