Aloha Medical Mission embraces spirit of giving

By Ira Zunin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 26, 2011

~~<p>Squinting through ti leaf-infused steam wafting from the glowing imu, I could make out the silhouette of a young, muscular man lifting turkeys into the cooking pit. Since he was a toddler, my son and I have been a part of the local Thanksgiving ritual at the Key Project. This year the close-knit community came together to bury and bake 500 turkeys through the night and hand them back to families for the Thanksgiving feast.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is the one day that celebrates giving and receiving. During Thanksgiving last year my son and I went on a solo medical mission. We took a helicopter and medical supplies from Kathmandu, Nepal, to a remote region of the Himalayas to care for Tibetans without access to health services. People benefit emotionally and spiritually through the act of giving, according to Dr. Bradley Wong, a retired surgeon and president of the Aloha Medical Mission.</p>
~~

Squinting through ti leaf-infused steam wafting from the glowing imu, I could make out the silhouette of a young, muscular man lifting turkeys into the cooking pit. Since he was a toddler, my son and I have been a part of the local Thanksgiving ritual at the Key Project. This year the close-knit community came together to bury and bake 500 turkeys through the night and hand them back to families for the Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is the one day that celebrates giving and receiving. During Thanksgiving last year my son and I went on a solo medical mission. We took a helicopter and medical supplies from Kathmandu, Nepal, to a remote region of the Himalayas to care for Tibetans without access to health services. People benefit emotionally and spiritually through the act of giving, according to Dr. Bradley Wong, a retired surgeon and president of the Aloha Medical Mission. Login for more...