Hawaii Pacific Health Donor Reports 2014 | Page 20

(From L to R) Straub nurse Darcy Kessler, Gail Myers and Dr. Elna Masuda Making a Difference, Saving Lives Gail Myers grew up in a military family and moved to Hawai‘i when her father was assigned to duty at Hickam Air Force Base. She fell in love with Hawai‘i upon arrival and knew she never wanted to leave. Myers dreamed of going to college, believing it would make her independent and give her the ability to help her family in the future. She worked to pay for her education and became the first member of her family to obtain a college degree when she graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. When Myers needed vascular surgery, she turned to the experts at Straub Clinic & Hospital who became part of her family too. Dr. Elna Masuda and nurse Darcy Kessler are just two members of the Straub team who saved her life not once, but twice. Myers would again turn to Straub, but this time it would be for different reasons. “I wanted to honor the family I loved—my late grandfather and parents, and my inimitable companion Beaux, who taught me about a different kind of love from one of God’s creatures,” said Myers. “I also wanted to acknowledge my new family members, the physicians and staff at Straub who saved my life.” Together with the Straub Foundation, Myers created the Gail Myers Fund for Vascular Medicine for the advancement of vascular care so that patients will be able to benefit from the same high-quality expertise and compassionate care that she received as a patient at Straub. “I wanted to honor the family I loved…and acknowledge the physicians and staff at Straub who saved my life.” GAIL MYERS Straub Donor 18 19