Lady Bird Johnson once said, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” And so, every Friday the volunteer team of Hawai'i Care Choices picks up anthuriums (generously donated by Green Point Nurseries) to deliver to patients and their families, in hopes that the flowers add beauty to their day.
David Kohara (in the bottom photo), who has been a volunteer with Hawai'i Care Choices since 2017, visits extended care facilities and residences like Yukio Okutsu Veterans State Home, Legacy Hilo Rehab & Nursing, and Life Care Center of Hilo, to deliver the fresh flowers to Hawai'i Care Choices patients who are receiving care there. Providing companionship for patients has been David’s passion and inspiration for years. He shared, “I think that volunteers have a very important role in this organization. I feel that we are the heart of the organization. We provide comfort and compassion to the patients. We may not know all the medical terms, but we know that the patients can sometimes feel loneliness, confusion…and volunteers do an excellent job filling in those holes and helping them along their journey. Sitting with the patients when I’m called in to do a vigil, to me, is the most touching and rewarding of all. I may not see them in their healthiest condition, but I see them when they are transitioning, and I am there to remind them that there will be someone waiting for them at the end.”

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