Keeping Score
Iolani’s Kang refuses
to let ALS stop herIT'S been very difficult to watch Ann Goldenson Kang these past few months.
When she first started using a cane and bringing her own chair to the gym, little was made of it. Kang was moving a little slower. Perhaps it was the residual from knee surgery?
It wouldn't have been a surprise, given how active she'd been -- from her volleyball playing days on the U.S. Junior National team (1973-75) and at the University of Hawaii (1976-78), to her physical education classes at Iolani School and her hands-on coaching style of the Raider girls volleyball team for more than 20 years.
We're all getting older and the body doesn't heal as quickly as it used to. Kang and I are both 47 so I thought I understood.
But as the months wore on, it became painfully obvious that she wasn't getting better. Still, how does one ask, "What's wrong?" Instead it's "Are you doing OK?" Kang always replied with a smile, "I'm fine."
You knew it wasn't completely true. But this was how Kang was dealing with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a scary, neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord.
She had first begun to "feel weird" during a game of tennis last December, about a month after she had coached Iolani to its first state championship in girls volleyball. After months of testing, the diagnosis of ALS -- better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease -- came in April.
There is no cure. One can only hope to slow the progress, which Kang is doing through medication. It's estimated that she's lost 10 percent of her muscle control and movement. Physical therapy may help her regain core muscle strength. Anyone who knows her knows that her inner core is already strong.
"We were on the junior national team together," said Deb Costello Zabriskie, a Kailua resident who played at Pepperdine (1976-79). "Ann was a senior member of the team and very dedicated. She led with maturity.
"When I found out, I just cried. It's hard because I knew her when she was youthful and active. And to know she can't do the things she used to do ... it sucks."
It's been hard on her husband Alan, who coached the first intercollegiate Wahine team in 1974. It's been hard on her children, twins Barry and Marci, who are freshmen at Iolani.
It's hard to see Kang without thinking, "How would I deal with this?"
Kang didn't want a fuss made over her. She didn't want to talk publicly about her health until after this season was over because she wanted the focus to be on volleyball. And, if all goes well, a second state title.
"It's a little embarrassing," she said after Iolani School announced last week it had put together "A Thanksgiving Fundraiser for An Kang."
The function is Nov. 26 at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Tickets are $30 and proceeds from the dinner and silent auction will help defray the mounting medical expenses. (Call 544-8322).
Word had begun to spread slowly prior to last week's announcement. Her former Wahine teammates already had a fund-raiser in the works as part of the Nov. 9 alumnae match and in conjunction with the UH Letterwinners Club.
Kang plans to coach and teach for as long as she can.
"If I stopped, then I've given up," she said.
Those who know Kang know ALS is in for one heck of a match.
Cindy Luis' column appears periodically.
E-mail Cindy at cluis@starbulletin.com