Mink was always
a phone call away

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My mother was admitted to Tripler Army Medical Center at the end of December 1973, after suffering from kidney complications while pregnant with my younger brother. Because my parents did not have relatives living in Honolulu, my father -- who was in the U.S. Navy at the time -- sought the aid of Congresswoman Patsy Mink to help bring his mother-in-law to Hawaii from the Philippines. To my father's surprise, Mink herself answered the phone at her Honolulu office.

Despite his intimidation, my father explained my mother's condition to Mink and asked if she could help bring my grandmother to Honolulu to care for my older sister and me, then ages 3 and 2. According to my father, Mink told him she would send a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Manila to request my grandmother be sent to Hawaii immediately. Two weeks later, my grandmother arrived in Hawaii on a six-month visa and took care of my sister and me while my mother recovered from her illness. In June, my brother was born healthy at Tripler.

After Mink's death, my father recalled this story of how she helped my parents nearly 30 years ago. Others I spoke to also commended Mink for her dedication to the common people. Through her efforts in assisting my parents, she demonstrated the true meaning of commitment to public service -- helping out residents in her community, one by one.

Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com