We sat on the sand and watched the sun begin to rise, its rays breaking through the stormy sky and spilling onto the gentle waves of Waikiki Beach in front of us. It was just over a year before the pandemic took hold, and our team was hosting a very special wish for 18-year-old Rebekah of California, whose mother had unexpectedly passed just months prior, right in the height of her own battle with lymphoma. Rebekah had wished to honor her late mother, Alma, and we arranged for a private memorial ceremony led by Director of Cultural Services at Kyo-Ya Hotels & Resorts- Marriott Waikiki, Kehaulani Thelma Kam, affectionately known as Aunty Kehau in our wish community.  

An intimate group comprised of Rebekah’s family and a few members of our wish team, we sat in silence, listening attentively to Aunty Kehau as she described the interconnectedness of the world, the symbolism of the ocean surrounding us, and the trust that Alma’s soul was with us. Then, Aunty Kehau led Rebekah and her sister to the water. Rebekah waded into the waves, scattering a handful of orchids into the ocean as she prayed first for her sister, next for her father and the rest of her family, and then for herself. She saved the final prayer, and the last handful of flowers, for her late mother.

Although visiting wishes like Rebekah’s have been on hold during the pandemic, we have not stopped reflecting on the aloha that has touched thousands of wish families’ lives here in Hawaii over the past 37 years—aloha shared by caring community partners like Aunty Kehau.

Born and raised in Lanikai, Aunty Kehau has always been driven by a desire to help others and to share the values that guided her upbringing: family, aloha, and taking care of one another.

As she worked toward a degree in social work with a minor in nursing at the University of Hawaii, Aunty Kehau began her impressive, decades-long career in the hotel industry as a waitress at The Kahala Hotel & Resort. After graduating, she took a job with The Sheraton Waikiki in 1971 and has spent the past 50 years working her way up through the local hospitality industry—from distributing mail and manning the front desk to managing entire properties like The Royal Hawaiian.

“I just wanted to stay in the industry because I loved working with people and meeting people from around the world, just enjoying their perspectives and the essence that they bring to our islands,” she says.

Eventually, the Director of Cultural Services position was created for her, allowing her to bridge her extensive industry experience with her desire to share Hawaiian culture with others.

Since then, Aunty Kehau’s work has been all about sharing aloha with guests from around the world through cultural experiences, as well as through training her associates to do the same.

“When visitors arrive, of course they are there in love with the beautiful scenery…the smell of the island flowers, the beautiful ocean, the surfing, the mountains and the hiking. But there is something else that draws them here, and for some it's difficult for them to put their finger on,” she explains. “Once they realize that Hawaii truly is a spiritual place where it allows you as a person to dig deep into who you are, they become very interested in the culture.”

One of Aunty Kehau’s favorite cultural programs is the sunrise spiritual healing session—the experience she gave to wish kid Rebekah during her wish come true.

“We go into the ocean and from there the guest can contemplate and reflect on their lives and really let everything go that is holding them back. [I encourage them to] be happy in the present, but to always remember those who are by our side every day, those that have gone before us,” she says. “It’s a chance to really take a look within and to be able to understand the importance of the kuleana we have to take care of ourselves through our ancestors and to bring that to future generations.”

Of the many guests Aunty Kehau encounters in her work, wish families like Rebekah’s hold a special place in her heart. And as tourism begins to reopen, Aunty Kehau is eager to share aloha and healing energy with these families once again as soon as wish travel resumes.

“Aloha simply means giving of yourself with no expectations in return. Make-A-Wish is a perfect example of that, because you are there for [wish families] and trying to think of ways that will make others’ lives whole, just as our ancestors did,” she says. “Hopefully when our guests and wish families go home, they take with them that that care, and that deep sense and meaning of aloha.”

To the wish children currently waiting to visit our islands, Aunty Kehau encourages strength and a smile. And Aunty Kehau has a message of hope that extends not only to our wish families, but to us all