Kokua for Keali`i Blaisdell

Although the fund drive is now over, I wanted to post a note to say MAHALO NUI LOA to all who donated to kokua Keali`i! Your generosity, whether it was $5 or $100 or anything in between (and whether it was through this ChipIn site or a check mailed directly to the PO Box), allowed Keali`i to get the therapies he so desperately needed to get started on the journey to recovery.

I'm happy to report that thanks to the donation of airfare from an angel in Alaska, Keali`i and Korrie were able to return home to Hawai`i in mid-July, and that true to his doctors' word, being at home has helped him recover some of those lost memories - to the point that he is now playing music again!

Even before he moved home, the improvement he was making in his recovery (once he was able to begin therapy, thanks to your donations!) was remarkable. He worked EXTREMELY hard, and with the help of his therapists AND Korrie, as well as his own fierce determination, he was relearning how to read, do math, speak Hawaiian, play the guitar, etc. The only spontaneous memory he recovered prior to his return home was how to do graphic art and create web pages - but what a memory that was! He immediately set to work using those skills!

None of this would have been possible without your kokua, so again, mahalo nui loa for your generosity!

Those of us who are trying to help Keali`i would like to make it very clear that neither he nor his wife Korrie have ever asked for money or help of any kind.

This site was set up by friends and fans, solely for the purpose of helping the Blaisdells pay medical bills and moving expenses. It is our way of giving something back to someone who has given so much to us through his music and his friendship.

We thank those of you who have so generously donated to this effort. Your aloha and kokua are very much appreciated!

In late March, Keali`i suffered a "mild, debilitating" stroke. It affected the right side of his body, and although he has since regained most of the function on his right side and has seen improvement in his speech (all through therapy), he is still suffering from fairly severe memory loss.

Keali`i doesn't remember being one of Hawai`i's beloved musicians (or how to play his guitar), he has forgotten how to speak Hawaiian, and he doesn't remember many people. Although he is frustrated at the memory loss, he is working very hard to regain all of his lost functionality.

Keali`i and his wife Korrie are currently living in Anchorage, Alaska. His neurologist has prescribed a move home to Maui, as being in a familiar setting surrounded by hoaaloha and ohana (friends and family) will help him regain memory. He very much wants to move home.

However, due to a lack of health insurance (and high medical costs), and in spite of Korrie continuing to work when she'd rather be by her husband's side, they cannot even afford to pay their medical bills (or their rent), let alone pay all the costs associated with moving home to Maui. They have sold all their furniture (except for their bed) in order to pay bills.

That's where we come in! Keali`i and Korrie need our kokua in order to pay for the move home (as well as to pay medical and other bills). Airfare from Alaska to Hawai`i is very expensive, and as for shipping their belongings - it will cost over $2,000 alone just to ship their car!

So because so many people have asked how they can help Keali`i and Korrie, we (friends and fans) set up this ChipIn account. Please take this opportunity to show your aloha for Keali`i and Korrie by donating any amount from $2 on up. No donation is too small - any amount will help!

If you cannot afford to make a monetary donation, no worries! Please offer your prayers for Keali`i's complete and speedy recovery, so that he can share the gift of his music with us once again.

Mahalo nui loa!