DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Debra Bruchal, left; one of her twin 15-year-old daughters, Abigail; husband Lima Tiapula; and the other twin, Gabrielle, live in Weinberg Village in Waimanalo. They hope to replace clothing the girls have worn since the eighth grade.

The Power of Love

A family that’s been through it all
has lived off their affection
for each other

Debra Bruchal and her husband, Lima, raised their children "to never expect anything and to be happy with what they had."

"So all they wanted was love," she said. "People have to understand that gifts are just material things. You can't buy love."

If wealth were measured by the amount of love people have in their lives, the Bruchal family would be millionaires. But by society's standards, they are living below poverty level in a shelter.

Nevertheless, Bruchal is upbeat and considers her family -- which includes twin girls, 15, and a son, 21 -- quite fortunate.

"As long as the children are in good health and we have a roof over our heads, I want nothing more," she said. "The most important thing is we're all together and happy. Your home is where your family is."

Bruchal was reluctant to ask for help from the Star-Bulletin's Good Neighbor Fund, our annual donation and fund-raising drive held in conjunction with the Community Clearinghouse/Helping Hands Hawaii. (See Page A2 for details about the fund.)

All she wants is clothing for her girls because they have been wearing the same clothes since the eighth grade. One of the twins, Gabrielle, is visually and hearing-impaired, and had a pacemaker implanted in her heart last year. She and her sister, Abigail, also enjoy music.

Bruchal and her husband are both disabled and cannot work. He has diabetes and is visually impaired. Debra Bruchal's back and neck were seriously injured from two major traffic accidents, and it is painful for her to stand and walk.

In spite of their disabilities, they were given the Community Service Award for helping with the maintenance work at the Weinberg Village Waimanalo transitional shelter. It is her job to be Lima's pair of eyes -- "We're like Bonnie and Clyde: partners in cleaning" instead of crime, she said, laughing.

They moved into the shelter in February after living on the beach for three months. They survived on foods like saimin, fruits and vegetables, which needed no refrigeration and cost only $112 to feed five people per month.

"I could buy meat but the girls refused," she said. "It came down to only one meal a day. We were trim -- that's the only good thing about it. But we were never big eaters."

Being homeless was the lowest point in their lives, but "Ab and Gab and Lima said, 'Don't worry, everything will be all right,'" she said. "We always said we were going camping. I never liked camping, and here we were," living on the beach.

Then Gabrielle caught pneumonia and had to be hospitalized, and the doctors would not release her until the family had a roof over their heads. The hospital staff helped them get into Weinberg Village, Debra Bruchal said.

"God will always help those who need help. Don't give up hope. You're always loved and your prayers will be answered -- maybe not right away, but sooner or later," she said.

The twin girls wear a size 18 dress. Her son and husband wear XL shirts and have 40-inch and 42-inch waistlines, respectively. Lima wears size 8 shoes.