Kayoko Miura of Honolulu believes every person has the right to die with dignity, without worrying about health care costs in their remaining days.
Miura, a registered nurse, has since 2014 opened her home in Waialae Nui — the Wahinekoa Hospice Home — to two patients at no cost through her nonprofit, Nagomi Foster Homes.
The home has, to date, offered more than 100 terminally ill patients a safe haven to live out their last days.
Miura’s vision was to offer a place of care and comfort to individuals who may have no family, or who cannot be cared for at home “without the disturbances of beeping and shouting or tubing and poking like one often experiences in hospitals.”
Instead, she wanted to offer “a tranquil home with warm, supportive smiles.” Her efforts have drawn attention and made her one of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Heroes Next Door.
Besides providing comfort care and management of end-of-life symptoms, she and staff offer emotional and spiritual support.
“It’s not for everybody,” said Miura, 58, simply and humbly. “It’s definitely about life. It’s not about death.”
What she means is that instead of taking life for granted, those who are close to the end are very aware of how precious it is, and of the importance of every remaining moment.
“When we have that limit in our sight, what we have now becomes a lot more precious, a lot more, I guess, shiny,” she said. “When I see that shiny moment in them, that gives us the joy or pleasure of caring for them.”
Those moments include when the family of a patient comes to visit, and they sing songs or sometimes go on a special outing, or simply hold hands. To witness those moments is a privilege, she said.
She could not do it without the help of an amazing staff and volunteers, she added.
Patients come mostly through word of mouth, and are selected based on medical, social and
emotional needs. The home is willing to take patients rejected by other facilities.
Some have stayed at the home because they did not want to die in a hospital, she said. Others had exhausted their financial resources. Patients have stayed anywhere from a few hours to a few years.
For Miura, providing hospice care was a calling in life.
Miura, who was born and raised in Japan, experienced death during her childhood when her mother died at age 31. She was only 10 years old at the time, and became aware early of the precariousness of life.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she was interested in pursuing social work, but ended up as a nurse doing hospice work.
After more than 20 years working in the industry, she saw that there was a huge need, and was inspired to start the nonprofit based on a philosophy of social entrepreneurship. There are only 22 beds specialized in hospice care on Oahu, she said, and that’s definitely not enough.
When people are dying, they should not have to worry about health care costs, she said, and nursing homes can get expensive, up to $12,000 a month.
“I just don’t think it’s right that they have to consider the cost,” she said.
Miura still works part-time as a hospice nurse. She runs another licensed care home that helps provide an income so that she can run the nonprofit.
Wahinekoa Hospice Home — despite being a place where many have taken their last breaths — is comfortable and tidy, with a positive flow to it. There is a spacious kitchen, and lanai filled with plants. Two small dogs — Momo and Mustaccio — welcome visitors.
For Miura, the challenges include patients who sometimes act out at night as part of terminal restlessness. But the rewards are a lifetime of precious moments, when it matters most. She is reminded of how precious life is every day.
On a wall near the entrance, there are several, hand-written thank you cards from families of patients.
One says: “We can’t thank you enough for your hospitality and care for our Uncle…I know he was very happy with his brief stay with you and was very appreciative of everything you all did for him and for us…”
Another says: “You and your team of nurses and volunteers restored faith and kindness of the world to me and my mother. In the time of darkness and despair, you were the gleaming hope to us and I will never forget your selfless acts of caring and thoughtfulness.”
Miura is simply glad that she was able to help.
About this series: We recently asked readers to help shine a light on the good works of a few true unsung heroes. Readers responded with nominees from divergent walks of island life who share a common desire to help others. Star-Advertiser editors chose six Heroes Next Door who will be highlighted in stories through Monday.
