Blood bank ambassador intends to be No. 1 donor

Lyman Koike is living proof that 70 is the new 50. While some of his health can be attributed to good genes, his positive attitude and healthy lifestyle definitely play a part.

Koike, who plans to live to be 120, attributes his young-at-heart attitude to four main passions: helping children, donating blood, exercise and softball. He developed his positive attitude while attending high school at Mid-Pacific Institute — where he went from being a shy kid to vice president of the student athletics club — and hasn’t lost it over the years.

Later he joined the advanced ROTC at the University of Hawaii, where he had a baseball scholarship. "That really helped me gain leadership skills and gain more self-confidence," he said.

He doesn’t believe that there are failures, just lessons to be learned. Koike suggests living each day as if something wonderful is going to happen.

Koike retired as a CPA and got his master’s degree in education in 2006 at the age of 65 with a GPA of 4.0. He now works as a part-time teacher at Kalihi Waena Elementary School. He donates a pint of blood every eight weeks and has added to the Hawaii Blood Bank more than 200 times.

Considered a "super donor," his photograph graces the wall alongside the top donors. "Besides saving lives, I have a selfish reason for donating blood. I feel that after donating my one pint, the new pint being created in my body is making me healthier and stronger."

When he turned 50, he was introduced to the Five Tibetan Rites, a set of yogalike movements highlighted in Peter Kelder’s book "Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth." The movements are designed to help the practitioner gain the energy levels one had in youth. Koike sets aside two hours before leaving his home in the morning to stretch, perform a weight workout and the Five Tibetan Rites (21 movements each), and write in his gratitude journal. His day begins at 4:30 a.m. and ends at 11:30 p.m.

Koike also strongly believes in positive affirmations and repeats this one daily: "I am perfectly healthy mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and nutritionally, and do all things to properly maintain my health."

"When I was younger, having money and a great job were important. As I have gotten older, I’ve learned to believe in myself, to have confidence and faith. If they took away all of my money and possessions, I could start over," he said.

"I am lucky to have grown up in a large, happy family in a small town on the Big Island," he added, noting that his neighbor taught him the importance of donating blood, a lesson for which he is grateful.

Even so, doing good plays into Koike’s competitive spirit, gleaned on the baseball and softball fields, on which he plans to play into his 90s. Koike, already named one of the Blood Bank Ambassadors, notes that there are people who have donated more blood than him, and said, "My goal is to be the No. 1 donor of the blood bank."

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“Be Well” features inspiring stories of people dealing with health challenges. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.