Meli Watanuki
On Location at Kalaupapa

 

 

Like many Hansen's disease patients at Kalaupapa, Meli Watanuki experienced loss from a very early age. Diagnosed with Hansen's disease at eighteen, she was abandoned by her husband who took their young son with him. Years later, their bond could not be reconnected. Yet she explains how she found happiness and a new love by choosing to live in Kalaupapa. She and fellow Hansen's disease patient Boogie Kahilihiwa voice their contrasting views on whether or not children should be allowed into Kalaupapa. This is the third in a series of Long Story Short shows shot on location at Kalaupapa on Moloka'i.

 
Meli Watanuki
   
AUDIO
TRANSCRIPT