By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
This poster of Alana, signed by Israel Kamakawiwoole,
sat at the back of the chapel. His message read, "To God's
little angel, aloha, Uncle Iz, Israel Kamakawiwoole, peace."
Kamakawiwoole died June 26.
Alana: A legacy to be
measured in miracles
Her fighting spirit brought out
the best in everyone and may in the
long run help save the lives of many
By Jim Witty
Star-BulletinAmid one last outpouring of love and aloha, Alana Wai Ming Dung, the courageous tyke who lifted the hearts of legions and whose legacy will long be measured in miracles, was remembered yesterday by relatives, friends and strangers who followed her battle with leukemia as if she were family.
Hundreds gathered in Thurston Memorial Chapel at Punahou School to say goodbye to Alana, 3, who died Oct. 14 after an 18-month struggle with a rare form of the disease.
"We come in grief ... but we also come with a deep joy, thankful for so much," Chaplain Lauren Buck Medeiros told mourners.
Family, friends and caregivers described Alana as charming, determined and, perhaps because of her unique situation, mature beyond her years. But, she was also a Cheetos-chomping toddler who delighted in watching Barney the dinosaur on television and playing video games even without the power on.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
After Alana's funeral, her mother, Adelia, proceeds to
a family limo, followed by her son, Spencer, left, and his
cousin, Joshua Lee, 7, and Stephen Dung, Alana's father.
And little Alana attracted nearly 31,000 people to the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry, almost tripling the pool of potential donors."In her three years of life, she's done more than any of us will do in our lifetime," said Roy Yonashiro, donor recruitment coordinator for the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
"She touched the hearts of millions of people. She gave patients hope."
And through her spunky resolve, she taught people valuable lessons in life, noted Chaplain David Baumgart Turner.
"Through Alana, we are, all of us, more than we were before," he said.
As part of the celebration of Alana's life, Lehua Kalima of Na Leo Pilimehana sang "Never Alone: Eeyore's Lullaby" and "Flying with Angels." The Honolulu Boy Choir performed Alana's favorite, "The World is a Rainbow" and "Wonderful World of Aloha."
In his eulogy, Jonathan W.Y. Lai recalled Alana's short but "full life."
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Alana's brother, Spencer, 8, stops to wave
after the funeral.
And Alana's uncle, Dr. Alvin H.L. Chung, thanked family members, friends and the community for its unprecedented outpouring during his niece's trials.A profusion of colorful balloons floated above the coffin and a poster-size photo of Alana signed by the late Israel Kamakawiwoole was placed at the back of the chapel.
After 42 heavily attended bone marrow donor drives across the state, a matching donor for Alana had been found in Taiwan, and the transplant was performed in July 1996 at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
But Alana suffered a relapse and died peacefully at the Dung's Nuuanu home earlier this month.
Fellow leukemia patient and transplant recipient Chris Pablo summed up the hurt and the hope of Alana's short life.
"I have a sense of loss," he said yesterday. "I feel like I lost my partner. But she's right there with me as we continue in her spirit to educate the public (about bone marrow donation)."
For Pablo, whose own story has become intertwined with that of Hawaii's little girl, Alana represents the best qualities that people possess. But most of all, Pablo said, she represents "hope."
Following the service, Alana was buried in a private ceremony at Oahu Cemetery.
Spirit of giving
is Alana’s legacyHundreds join the registry
By Jim Witty
in memory of the courageous tyke
Star-BulletinALANA'S legacy lives on. A couple of hours after Hawaii bid aloha to 3-year-old Alana Dung, who died earlier this month after battling leukemia for 11/2 years, the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry was again operating in a familiar mode: registering potential donors at the Food and New Products Show at Blaisdell Center yesterday.
"That little girl's memory will live on," said donor recruitment coordinator Roy Yonashiro.
After Alana was diagnosed with the disease on April 5, 1996, thousands of Hawaii's residents lined up for hours at 42 bone marrow drives statewide. During her life, Alana was responsible for adding almost 31,000 new names to the registry.
Yesterday, the registry was up another 350 or so, with some invoking Alana's name before signing on.
Yonashiro said one young woman who registered this weekend was several months shy of the minimum donor age of 18 when she attended a drive for Alana last year. She bided her time, came back and signed up.
Some can relate because they have children close to Alana's age. Others just want to help save a life, Yonashiro said.
Yonashiro said 30 percent of bone marrow matches are found within patients' families. The other 70 percent must look for donors among people of the same ethnic group.
Since Alana spurred Hawaii residents into action, 700 preliminary matches have been made and at least seven people have consented to be donors, he said.
Yesterday, Wayne Olivieri rolled up his sleeve to give blood for typing. "It's to save a life," he said, with his wife, Danelle, and their two children. "It's worth it if you can save somebody's life. That's what it's all about."
