Breathe Concert

Although lung cancer tops the chart for the most common cause of cancerous deaths in America, it is often overlooked. In order to change that, the American Lung Association is hosting their fourth annual Breathe Concert to educate and draw support from the community in their fight for air.

Information: February 10th Hawaiʻi Theatre  http://www.lungusa.org
Tickets: www.hawaiitheatre.com/boxoffice.html

Aia a ma ʻō aku o ka ʻekolu haneli kaukani kānaka ma ʻAmelika i loaʻa i ka maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā a ma ʻō aku o ka ʻelua haneli kaukani hou aku kānaka i pā i kēia maʻi ʻino i kēlā makahiki aku nei wale nō.

“ʻO ka mea koʻikoʻi, ʻo ia ka nui o nā hoa i loaʻa i ka maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā a ʻaʻole loa i puhi paka iki,” wahi a ka luna hoʻomalu o ka American Lung Association, ʻo Kauka Michael Chun.

I loko o ka puhi a puhi ʻole, ʻaʻohe hōʻole ʻana i ka maikaʻi ʻole loa o ka paka i ka nui a laha o kēia maʻi ʻino.

“ʻO kekahi kumu ma Kamehameha nei,” wahi a Kauka Chun, “ʻaʻole ʻo ia i puhi paka, akā, ʻoiai ʻo ia ma ke ao hoʻokani pila, ua loaʻa i ka maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā no ko ka poʻe ʻē aʻe puhi paka ʻana a puni ona.”

He mea kēia maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā e pā ai kākou like a no kēia puʻukani, ʻike leʻa ʻo ia i ke ʻano e pili kikoʻī ai kēia i kona poʻe, ka lāhui Hawaiʻi nō hoʻi, i kēia maʻi ʻino loa.

“Mahalo wau i Ke Akua no kona hoʻopōmaikaʻi ʻana mai iaʻu me ka ʻike o nā mele Hawaiʻi, eia naʻe, he pilikia nui ka maʻi ʻaʻai a me ka puhi paka ʻana iā kākou Hawaiʻi,” wahi a ke kanaka hoʻolaha ma ka ʻaha mele ʻo Breathe, ʻo Kaniala Danny Kaleikini.

ʻO ka maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā ka maʻi ʻaʻai e make nui ai ka poʻe ma mua o nā maʻi ʻaʻai ʻē aʻe e loaʻa ai ma ka umauma, ka uha, ke ake a me nā hakuʻala.

E mālama ana ka American Lung Association i ko lākou ʻaha mele ʻo Breathe no ka makahiki ʻehā i kēia mahina aʻe i mea hoʻi e laha ai ka ʻike no ka maʻi ʻaʻai akemāmā me ke noi pū i ko kākou lima kōkua ma ka hoʻēmi ʻana i kēia maʻi ʻino nei. Ua helu papa nō lākou i nā puʻukani e kākoʻo pū ana i ua ʻaha mele nei, ʻo Mark Yamanaka, Kupaʻoa, Mailani a me nā puʻukani kaulana ʻē aʻe o Hawaiʻi kekahi.

“Aloha a e launa mai me mākou nei ma ka ʻaha mele ʻo Breathe i ka lā ʻumi o Pepeluali ma Hawaiʻi Theather,” wahi a ka ʻohana o ka American Lung Association.

No laila, e naue aku a kākoʻo like i ka American Lung Association ma ka paio no ke ea ma kā lākou ʻAha Mele ʻo Breathe.

There are over 300,000 Americans living with lung cancer and more than 200,000 new cases were diagnosed just last year.

“The frightening thing about it is that I have friends and you have friends who have died from lung cancer, who have contracted lung cancer and these were people who never smoked in their lives,” says Dr. Michael Chun, Honorary Chair for the American Lung Association.

However, smoker or not, cigarette smoke is still a leading cause of the disease.

“One of our wonderful teachers here at Kamehameha never smoked in his life but he died from lung cancer” Dr. Chun says. “But see, he did a lot of entertaining. He was a guitarist, and it was that second hand smoke that was the result-the cause of his lung cancer.”

Lung cancer affects all of us but this entertainer is concerned with its impact on the Hawaiian community.

“I just thank God you know, he gave me a gift, a gift to hīmeni nā mele o Hawaiʻi to sing, he gave me a gift to learn about Hawaiʻi of yesterday. And all we’re saying is that we as kānaka Maoli and we as far as for cancer and for smoking you know, we do have a problem,” says Kaniala “Danny” Kaleikini, Breathe Concert Emcee.

Lung cancer accounts for more deaths than breast, prostate, colon, liver and kidney cancers combined.

The American Lung Association is holding their 4^th Annual Breathe Concert educate and draw support from the community to help fight this disease and they enlisted the help of some of Hawai’i’s finest entertainers, like Mark Yamanaka, Kupaʻoa, Mailani and more.

“He ʻanoʻai aloha kākou a pau, aloha. Komo mai to the Breathe Concert, right brother? Right! When is it? It’s Friday Feburary 10th at Hawaiʻi Theater,” says the American Lung Association ʻohana.

So join the American Lung Association in the Fight for Air and support their Breathe Concert.