Your inbox may have had a few Thanksgiving mass-messages from bosses, business contacts, online merchants and perhaps a few politicians thanking you for your support and patronage.
State Sen. Breene Harimoto’s Thanksgiving email message — like the quiet, unassuming but fiercely sturdy senator himself — was different:
“Last week my family and I received the best news ever: my cancer is now in remission.”
The news is stunning. Harimoto, 62, had been so sick. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer in June 2015, went through two major surgeries, six months of weekly chemotherapy and two months of radiation.
There were many trips to the emergency room and several stays in the hospital. He was fighting an uphill battle, and even to call it that was seeing it in the best possible light.
Harimoto knew it was bad, but held firmly to his faith. Through it all, he vowed to stay busy and keep working for his constituents. He had committed himself to public service, and, come what may, he was determined that he was going to serve.
Harimoto had a long career in IT before being appointed by Gov. Ben Cayetano to the Board of Education in 2002. He served for eight years on the BOE, then for four years on the Honolulu City Council before running for the state Senate seat that opened up when David Ige ran for governor in 2014.
Harimoto was there for the opening of the 2016 legislative session, looking thin and frail but wearing a nice suit and a big smile. He worked as much as he could but missed a total of 18 days because at times he wasn’t strong enough to get to the Capitol.
“The sickening effects of chemo and radiation have finally worn off, my feeding tube has been removed and I’m now able to eat almost normally again with the help of medication,” he wrote in his email update, which he sent to his constituents and supporters. Harimoto’s email was written in his characteristic matter-of-fact tone, but it was brimming with joy and gratitude and a renewed promise to get right back to work.
“I am now well enough to be back to work on a regular basis and I am easing my way back to attending community meetings and events,” he wrote. “I am now back in the office preparing for the upcoming legislative session that begins January 18, 2017. My staff and I are busy researching issues, meeting with many state and city agency officials, meeting with various advocacy groups, and preparing legislation.”
Though he was diagnosed with one of the most deadly forms of cancer, Harimoto says he’s been told the outlook for his survival is good.
“I’m telling everybody I know, not only because I’m so happy, but because all too often all we hear about is people dying from cancer,” he said. “People need to know that getting cancer is not a death sentence. We must live our lives with a sense of faith and hope and believe in the miraculous healing power of our God.”
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
