Mililani prays
for a miracle: Let
their brains have life,
let their lungs breathe

A neighborhood comes together
to pull for its two hospitalized boys

School lends its support

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

They prayed for a miracle at Makana Hale last night.

The ball-tossing boys, the promenading teen-agers, the men with arms crossed in sober dialogue, the women shepherding tots and bringing snacks coalesced into a quiet prayer circle at dusk.

More than 200 people from the apartment complex and their Mililani neighbors clasped hands and asked for divine intervention in restoring Makaio Rich, 12, and Richard Landingin, 10, to health. The boys, pulled from a Waipio swimming hole Friday, are in critical condition at Kapiolani Hospital.

"I ask for a miracle," said Peter Littlejohn, in a soft-voiced appeal heard across the silence of the courtyard. "Please let them come back," said his son, Gabriel, 12, a pal of the boys. "Because the neighborhood won't be the same without them."

"Lord, resurrect these boys," prayed John Elleson, president of the residents' cooperative. "Let their brains have life and let their lungs breathe. We know we're in the 11th hour."

Patrick Aki recited a Catholic prayer asking St. Michael the Archangel's intercession for the boys, and Eric Melin cited the Gospel passage in which Jesus said "suffer the little children to come unto me."

"God you are the greatest physician there is," said the Rev. Michael Henderson of New Life Body of Christ Church. "Resurrect them, Lord, we need nothing less than a miracle."

It was the third night neighbors of the Rich and Landingin families gathered in the ever-growing prayer circle, an idea that began with the boys' young friends.

"Some of the kids were talking about it," said Sara Vaifale. "They wanted to do this and say something about what they feel about the boys." Anna Velez passed the word to gather Sunday.

Vaifale said her family has lived at the complex for 19 years, "a safe, friendly place for children," but there's never been anything like this gathering. "The accident is the kind of thing that brings the community together."

"I know the boys very well," said Aki, who is known as "Grandpa Aki" and is a familiar face because he has tended plants around the apartments for years. "Makaio is very inquisitive. He'd help me with the planting ... he asked a lot of questions.

"Richard always followed his elder brother. When they'd come to watch me, I'd put them to work," Aki said. "Tragic as this might be, we know the children are in the hands of God."

Maria Rivera, grandmother of eight and a resident for 15 years, said she's known the boys and their families for many years. "After this happened, my son said he used to go to that swimming hole. I never knew it," she said, and it's an awareness -- and a worry -- that many parents have shared this week.

Rivera didn't speak out in prayer and neither did the majority of those in the circle. But her T-shirt spoke volumes for them all: "I Love Kids."

Mililani students
alert to 2 boys’ plight

By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

Mililani Middle School students have been keeping up on the news, tracking the well-being of two of their schoolmates.

Makaio Rich, 12, and Richard Landingin, 10, are in critical condition at Kapiolani Hospital after being rescued from a Waipio swimming hole Friday evening.

Their principal, Roger Kim, says Mililani Middle students are thinking about Makaio and Richard and have talked in school about what happened to them .

"The kids have had a chance to let out their feelings" Kim said. "I can't say that nobody's affected but we don't see a whole lot of signs that students are deeply disturbed."

When students arrived for class Monday, the first school day after the accident, counselors were on hand and school time was set aside for students to talk about their concerns.

"With all the support activities going on, they can deal with it," Kim said. "They have support through teachers and counselors and students and I think that helps."

Students are also turning to their families for support. "I think they're working things out at home," Kim said.

The school also felt that getting back into a routine would help. One thing that has helped the students cope has been the news coverage surrounding the accident because students know what's going on with the boys.

"It's been on TV and in the papers," Kim said. "Anything regarding the incident, the kids are well aware of it. ... They're up on the information as much as everyone else."

The students also comprehend the seriousness of what has happened to the boys, Kim said.

"They understand the kids are on life support."

Kim said the school would also be on hand to provide help to students in case there's a change in the boys' condition. "I'm not sure if they're prepared for the worst."

Richard and Makaio were in the sixth grade although attending school on different scheduling tracks, Kim said.

Kim said he knew Makaio, describing him as a good kid who smiled a lot.

School staff members also have supported the families of the boys through visits to the hospital, he said.

"We just have to wait to see how things are."