VOLCANOS, MONSOONS, TSUNAMIS & CANCER

We had just climbed into bed when the first siren sounded.  It was the unmistakable whine ofan air-raid siren.  The same siren that would have sounded during the attack of Pearl Harbor; signaling the arrival of enemy aircraft from Japan.  This was not an air raid.  We knew immediately that this siren was signaling another danger.   Again it was coming from Japan, but this was a Tsunami.  We got up and turned on the TV to see what had happened.  An earthquake of 8.9 magnitude had struck Japan and an ensuing tidal wave, 100 miles wide was heading towards the Hawai’ian Islands.

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In the past eleven days we have had an onslaught from every angle.  We have had a volcanic eruption, albeit it on the Big Island, but we were covered in ‘vog’, which looks like a combination of fog and smog, but contains particles of volcanic ash and dulls the sun’s rays.  After the vog cleared there was a tremendous storm, complete with lightening bolts and thunder – both almost unknown in Hawai’i.  During the past 11 days there have only been three days without rain.   When the rain came it was as if we were living on the plains of Africa during the rainy season.  These were not rain storms; they were monsoons.  At times you could not see across the yard, as the deluge came down.  Frequent breaks on the television announced urgent messages to move to higher ground due to flash floods.  Another anomaly.  A couple of days we escaped to Honolulu to go to the Bragg exercise class on Waikiki beach or to go swimming.  It rained there too, but not as much.  Not use to much rain, the hotels were putting out signs in their lanais and open air lobbies that read, “slippery when wet”, but not in time for me as I stepped onto the marble and fell to my knees.  Uninjured, I scrambled to my feet, feeling more embarrassment than pain.

Lennie was having a bad week as well…..  The first day of March had started out so well with us up at the crack of dawn and heading to Honolulu for the Bragg exercise class.  Lennie and I did part 1 – a half hour of stretching, twisting, breathing and bending.  Then Lennie did part 2 which was another half hour, this time lying on the ground doing some Pilates and yoga moves while I headed to the water’s edge for some morning sun.  After that he joined me, but headed into the water for a 1/2 mile swim, while I still lied on the sand.  Who is the one with cancer?  After all that exercising we were ready for some food and Lennie went into the washroom first.  He came out elated that he had a formed bowel movement, something that is not usually possible with colon cancer.  Life was good.  The next day he crashed.  His energy was low, he started to get irritable and argumentative.  His diarrhea was returning and his entire body felt as if he was regressing.  That is where he has stayed for the past 11 days.  We have fought over his food, his new treatments that he has arbitrarily added to his regimen.  We have fought over what book to read, what movie to watch, how much water to drink.  Then one night while backing down the insanely steep hill at Lilipuna road Lennie went too far to the side and his rear passenger wheel went off the driveway.  We were dangerously close to rolling the SUV over.  In the rain we piled up whatever blocks and concrete rubble we could find to give some stability to the rear wheel.  In the end the front tire blew as the Blazer careened backwards.  We were very lucky that all we needed were two new tires.  So we argued about him talking on his cellphone while driving.  Basically we have been on each other’s nerves due to the stress of dealing with his cancer.  So, as we climbed into bed feeling particularly exhausted the other night, we stared at each other in disbelief as the tsunami sirens started.

On the television Governor Abercrombie was asking people to leave their homes if they were in a coastal location.  This was not a voluntary action – it was mandatory.  We started to pack our emergency gear and some supplies, hoping that once again Hawai’i would dodge a bullet the way it did last year when another Tsunami approached paradise. 

The sirens were starting again; it had been almost an hour since the first one.  We were going to Lennie’s house in Kaneohe, a 20 minute drive along the coast to the house up on the hill.

We checked with the marines that are living in the house and they had not been called back to duty yet.  The navy photographer here was told that it was too dark for either still shots or videos so there was no reason for him to leave.  At the first announcement two of the guys had raced down to the beach to see what the ocean looked like.  Ah, the invincible years…  They came back and told us that the water was definitely lower and farther out than it should be.  We watched the street cams of Honolulu which had been turned towards the ocean.  It seemed so strange to see the beaches and streets of Waikiki totally deserted.

By 11 PM we had loaded up the SUV with blankets, pillows, some clothes, food, medicine and survival gear.  Lilipuna, our cat, was sitting in the back seat on top of the pillows as if she knew something was happening in the earth.  And lastly out walks Lennie with a 12-roll package of toilet paper.  I had to smile – he looked like a little kid, bringing something so basic and obvious, but in a comical way.  Once out on the street we weren’t sure what kind of line-ups or traffic jams we might face, but there were none.  Everything was very orderly.  Mostly people were either going to friend’s or relatives’ homes inland or driving up the Pali and Likellike highways that go up through the Ko’olau mountains on this side of the island.  We passed dozens of cars that were pulled off the road and parked for the night where they could be safe and at the same time have a good vantage point to see the ocean.  On the way we stopped at a 24 hour Safeway store to pick up some water.  The shelves were fairly bare, but I still was able to get a few cases.  It turned out lucky that one of the military guys had moved out of the top house in Kaneohe, so we had a vacant room to spend the night in.  After schlepping some of our stuff and bedding and the cat up to the top of the hill we watched and waited and finally fell sound asleep at about 2 o’clock.  At 4 I got up to look out the window and watch the street cams on the TV that were turned to the beach and sea walls at Diamond Head. 

The morning after dawned hot and sunny and you would never know how close we had come to disaster.  It is now about 48 hours later and Lennie is once again on the upswing.  A day before the earthquake in Japan I had started to cut down the dose of the laxatives that Lennie was taking, thinking that these might be the reason for his pain and diarrhea.  He had accused me of causing him more pain with this action, which I knew was not true.  During the rush of our evacuation he had forgotten that night to take his laxative and the next day was not in so much pain.  One bright spot.  We had really argued over these pills causing the cramping pains, but he was being so stubborn and would not even try one night without them.  Well, finally he has stopped taking them.  Now I have to get him back onto some foods that will do the same.  It has been a gruelling couple of weeks.  I hope that life is back on the upswing.  The weather is back to normal.  Lennie is once again improving and disaster has been averted. 

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As we drove back to the house through the almost empty streets (the ‘All Clear’ signal was given over the radio just as we approached home) we knew that once again we had survived disaster.  And we had done it together.  It is in these moments that you know that whatever you face and no matter how bad it gets, there is no place that you would rather be than with the person that you love.  Everything will always be okay if you can get through it together.  I love you Lennie Schneider and I’m here for you, holding your hand all the way.

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Here are some views of Waikiki that are rarely seen:  deserted beaches and empty streets.

Kathryn

deserted beach -Waikiki