Surf4HUGS empowers kids coping with illness

Years ago, while surfing for the first time out at Populars, or Pops, a deepwater break in Waikiki, I was amazed by the good-humored welcome extended to me by the veteran longboarders who ruled the lineup. I was further amazed to see an almost completely paralyzed man venture out alone, strapped to a motorized longboard. He had an oxygen tube in his mouth and a tank on his back, and through his goggles you could see the smile in his eyes.

The regulars cheered, calling out his name. They helped him turn the nose of his board to shore and gave him a push onto a wave. He couldn’t move his legs but, to my recollection, he was able to paddle and steer, a little, with his hands. Lying on his belly while hurtling through a fast section, he made a noise that recalled a seabird’s cry.

Back he motored for more. At one point he turned turtle, vanishing in the whitewater, and the surfers rushed to right him. No harm done, but they gently suggested he go in and rest, and he cheerfully agreed.

Whenever I get fed up with my own lame surfing, I think of that guy and that supportive community.

They’re not alone.

“We’ve had kids who are crippled be able to surf,” said Dee Thomas, co-founder of Surf4HUGS, an arm of local nonprofit HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support), which provides assistance to families of children with serious medical conditions of all kinds, including leukemia and heart disease.

On Saturday, for the 14th year, Surf4HUGS will take sick children and interested siblings out on surfboards and launch them in the waves at Baby Queens in Waikiki.

“The joy to see these kids smile and to stand up for the first time or even kneel on a surfboard or (just) be in the water — it’s been wonderful,” said Thomas, who founded the annual event with her husband, Brett, and children Torrey and Leila.

If you’re facing the ocean, Baby Queens is the inside break between Queens and Canoes. Ever since the children were small, the Thomas family enjoyed surfing together in this part of Waikiki. The idea for Surf4Hugs grew out of a desire for the children “to learn about community service and to start an event from A to Z,” Thomas said.

Partnering with HUGS, they started with a small group of kids and siblings; this year, they’re expecting 60 kids and more than 50 volunteers, Thomas said.

From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteer surf instructors get the kids on surfboards and push them into waves. Other volunteers standing in shallow water catch the kids and push them back out.

“The parents stand on the beach with their cameras, get a chance to be with other parents and socialize.”

Rainbow Drive-In serves free lunches, cooked in a tent on the beach, to all participants. Koa Surfboards provides rash guards for all the kids and brings soft-topped surfboards down to the beach.

Thankfully, there have been no injuries or emergencies beyond a few reef cuts and jellyfish stings, Thomas said.

Max Okazaki, 8, will be there for the fourth year. His brother Jack, 6, will cheer him on.

“Max loves it,” said his father, Brian. “Every time we go he’s a little anxious because he doesn’t know how to surf. But every time he gets a little more courageous and empowered, and has a sense of accomplishment at the end.”

Max, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, has been getting stronger, his parents said.

“Originally, when Max was diagnosed, we felt isolated and alone,” Brian said, “but HUGS visited us at the hospital, and they host Surf4HUGS and other monthly events where we socialize with other families. We can connect on the same level.”

Asked about his riding style, “I’ll probably be sitting or laying down again,” Max said.

How would he describe surfing?

“Fun!”

“It helps them gain confidence in the water and learn about helping others,” his mother, Yulee, added.

Many kids, like Max, come back every year, and some are now adults who volunteer, but HUGS also loses kids every year to illness.

“There’ve been kids who we’ve watched grow up who are no longer with us,” Thomas said. “But we’ve had a lot of smiles and successful surfing.”

The public is welcome to watch the event from the beach at Canoes; look for the Surf4HUGS tents. And you can make a contribution, if you like, at Hugshawaii.org.

“In the Lineup” features Hawaii’s oceangoers and their regular hangouts, from the beach to the deep blue sea. Reach Mindy Pennybacker at mpennybacker@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4772.