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Tag-Team Care Across Medical Centers Helps Family Man Return to Active Lifestyle

Published Nov. 18, 2024

Father celebrating his daughter's success in a wrestling tournament.

The Reason 2024

Pat Hokoana lives a healthy and active lifestyle. He works as a rigger for Pearl Harbor and serves as a wrestling coach for Kamehameha Schools.

Pat is seen by his family as a protector, and his passion for wrestling inspired his six children to pursue the sport.

That's why it came as a surprise when, on March 3, 2023, Pat fell very ill and left work early. He developed a bad cough and struggled to breathe. Two days later, his wife, Noe, and their 15-year-old daughter, Anela, noticed Pat gasping for air.

Noe rushed Pat to the Emergency Department at Pali Momi Medical Center. There, it was discovered that Pat's oxygen levels were extremely low, while his heart rate was above average. He also had a severe case of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Pat took a turn for the worse overnight and fell into a coma with a heart function of 10%. His care team labeled him as the "sickest man in the state."

He needed to be put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and for that, he would need to be transported to Straub Benioff Medical Center. Due to recent efforts by Hawaiʻi Pacific Health's medical centers and care providers to collaborate on ECMO training and transport, Dr. John Kao and the Cardiac Catheterization Lab team at Pali Momi were able to insert cannulas, which are plastic tubes that connect a patient to the ECMO machine, and stabilize Pat enough to be transported for further care.

Over the course of a month, Pat recovered under the care of Straub Benioff's team of cardiac, respiratory and intensive care specialists. His heart function increased along with his strength. Due to the toll his illness took on his body, Pat needed to relearn how to eat, drink and walk.

Just shy of his one-year anniversary of undergoing ECMO treatment, Pat is doing well. He is back at work and continues to coach wrestling. He was even at the Hawaiʻi High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Championships where he proudly cheered for Anela, who placed second overall.


Watch the video below for Pat's full story and to hear more about this inspiring story of hope.

View transcript
[Music]
My husband lives breathes everything wrestling.
My dad is always in my corner and he's like the backbone of my life.
So last year we were at the HHSAA State Wrestling Championships. Anella did good she took fifth last year.
A week after I started not feeling well.
He was just sitting there like really shallow breathing, and I said you sure you don't want to go to the emergency room?
When I'm sick I don't go you know I just try and kick it right try to get rid of it by myself
He was like yeah, I'll just wait till tomorrow to go to the doctor and I was like "Dad, you're not going to make it till tomorrow," like I had to be straight up.
At that point is when you did say okay let's go
Pat presented to Pali Momi as it turns out had COVID pneumonia, and he relatively quickly developed respiratory distress.
The following morning, I got a call it was the hospitalist and he said, "your husband's heart function is 10%, he can expire at any time, and your husband is actually the sickest man in the state right now.
"We have something called extracoporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO for short this is a life-saving procedure done for the most critically ill patients 
The risks are 30 to 50% survival rate I remember um my mother-in-law saying "Noe, if this is our last chance and our last resort to save Pat's life, we got to do it." 
The ECMO Center for Hawaiʻi Pacific Health is Straub, but recently within the past year we've learned how to safely move patients throughout the system. 
Myself, as well as our cardiac Cath lab team, were here to do the implant of the cannulas and get them stabilized enough to transport to Straub where he had further care.
Every day at Straub was touch and go.
We were prepared for this moment and as sick as he was, I firmly believe that our team gives the best care. Our whole team consists of the cardiologists we got our specialist consisting of the labs x-ray we got everybody.
Every day we went down on how much the machine was supporting his body to test him in a way to see if his own heart and his lungs could take over.
Because he was covid positive, I couldn't be in the room. The only way I could communicate with him was through my cell phone. They said with him being in the coma and being able to hear my voice would be helpful for his healing and for his recovery.
Pat began to gradually improve. The ECMO machine allowing us to rest his heart and rest his lungs his heart function gradually recovered from 10% all the way up to 35%.
Just waking up that first day from the coma I couldn't see nothing yet, but just hearing his voice and seeing him up was such a huge, huge relief. 
The thing that really impresses me is how our team from multiple different hospitals were able to come together in a seamless fashion.
From the beginning at Pali Momi, all the way to when he was discharged from the third floor, this is our why and this is completely why we do what we do.
You know, Pat means a lot to everybody. Being a part of something like that, that we can offer [pause] I can't even find the right words to explain. 
I look back knowing that I am one I was one of the luckiest guys alive.
Being able to watch Anella wrestle and this year taking second in States just being alive and experiencing family and friends.
When I saw my dad, I was like "my dad is with me." Just being able to know that he was there [pause] I want to do this for my dad.
After being rushed to the Emergency Department at Pali Momi Medical Center, Pat Hokoana's care team labeled him as the "sickest man in the state." Watch the video to see how Pat is doing today, thanks to the care he received from Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Benioff Medical Center.

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