Charles Kong Died

Charles Kong passed away a few weeks ago -- 70-something, I believe. I'd known him for 10 years or so -- met with him occasionally in his car, initially, then at his home. His lower body was paralyzed when I met him; he was bed-bound the last few years.

I didn't know his story until I met with his girl friend after his death. When he was 14, Charles dove a bit short at Nuuanu Falls at a graduation party -- broke his neck. That was before mandates for assistance for the handicapped, so the school had nothing for him. He was self-taught thereafter -- math through calculus, etc. He had a great speaking voice and worked at a Honolulu TV station, he wrote for Honolulu magazines, tutored students and did other odd jobs -- saving and investing in real estate along the way. By the time I met him, he had acquired several properties in Honolulu and Hilo and a home in Ahualoa.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity, he was always thinking and planning. One of his dreams was to turn his Ahualoa property into a botanical garden, but he never figured out who would be able to pull if off without him. He lived frugally, supported his wife in a care home and his caregiving girl friend of over 25 years, and paid for the additional care required with his declining health. He also looked after an aging aunt in LA.

I don't think I've known anyone who overcame so much with shear will and effort. In this age when so many seem helpless to overcome much smaller obstacles, I was impressed and reassured to know that this still is a land of opportunity for those willing to work and strive -- even from a wheelchair.