DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM Hoku Aki, who lost most of his left leg due to a shark attack, waved yesterday as he wheeled himself into the Honolulu Airport terminal on his way home to Kauai. Behind him was his father Harmon and brother Hapa.

Hoku Aki anxious
to get back to life
after attack

The Kauai survivor flies hom
e to see his friends and catch up
on a busy schedule

---

By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.com

After 10 days of medical care in Honolulu, shark attack survivor Hoku Aki flew home with his family to Kauai yesterday, looking forward to seeing friends, sleeping in his own bed and one other thing he can only get on the Garden Isle ...

"Hamura's saimin," Aki said, referring to Lihue's popular Hamura Saimin Stand, where he plans to dig into a "plain extra large."

In good spirits yesterday, Aki strummed his ukulele as he sat in a wheelchair waiting for his 11:47 a.m. Hawaiian Airlines flight to Lihue. Aki said his left thigh was still in stitches from a recent amputation, and although he felt no pain, he was waiting until he returned home to put on his temporary prosthesis, which he described as a heavy 20 or 30 pounds.

"I'm doing very well," he said. "I have no pain whatsoever except phantom pain."

That "pain" is more of a nuisance, he said, describing it as a "tingly feeling" like needles. It's a sensation that continues for hours and reaches all the way to where his foot used to be. "I still feel like I can control it," he said. "I feel all the nerves and everything."

Aki underwent two amputations to his left leg after being attacked by a shark March 25 while bodyboarding at Brennecke Beach on the island's south shore. First treated at Wilcox Memorial Hospital, he has been in Honolulu since March 26, first at Queen's Medical Center and then Shriners, which provided him with the temporary prosthesis.

Although Shriners had wanted Aki to remain in Honolulu for a while longer, mom Raene said he was anxious to get home for a slew of activities that begin with prom on Friday and end with graduation from Kauai High School in June. He will also compete with his band "Elima Miu ..." in the May 4 and 5 StarQuest in Honolulu and serve as May Day king on the third.

"He wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer," she said, laughing, and added that doctors agreed to release him because he will continue physical therapy at Kauai Medical Clinic.

"We'll be working with them, they'll be in contact with Shriners," she said. "They'll be communicating I would say every day on his progress. His prosthesis is going to require a lot of adjustments, so we'll be flying down (to Honolulu) as needed."

Raene Aki said her son has shown his characteristic inner strength throughout his recovery and has taught her a few things about life. "He just taught me to look beyond the problems, enjoy life the best you can, make the most of every day," she said.

Hoku Aki, who has been credited with maturity and a good attitude throughout the ordeal, credited friends and family for giving him the encouragement to keep going. Still, he said, he does struggle with down times mostly at night.

"There's this one night that really hit me hard," he said. "(I realized) I don't have my leg anymore, it's like (I was) all pissed off, I just put the pillow over my head ... .

"I think about it but there's nothing I can really do that's how it is, just keep going."

Aki is looking forward to returning to classes Wednesday. As for returning to the water, however, Aki said he's "thinking about it."

"I think I'm going to go back ... probably, most likely. It's not really something I'm looking forward to but ... I know it's just one day I'm just going to be there and it's going to be like 'I gotta go in the water.' Probably cannot help anyway all my friends calling me, 'You wanna go? You wanna go?' "

Raene Aki said Shriners paid for two first-class tickets for her and Hoku; and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kalaheo Ward paid for the remaining tickets for dad Harmon; sisters Reesha, 14, and Ranee, 11; and brothers Houston, 16, and Hapa, who celebrates his 8th birthday today.

Aki described the attack as an accident and said he no longer holds ill will toward the shark. "I'm all right with it. I'm not going to go back out there and hunt the shark down or anything," he said, pausing. "But if people want to ... go right ahead, maybe they can find my foot."