In death, teen shares gift of life

• About 20 asthma sufferers in Hawai'i die yearly

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

Joseph Tumpap Sr. pores over a photo display of son Cory that the family prepared for the Baldwin High sophomore's funeral tomorrow. Also pictured are Cory's sister, Leila Casco, left, and mother, Janice Tumpap. Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser Learn more April is National Donate Life Month, honoring living and deceased organ donors and their families. For details on organ donation, call the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i toll free at (877) 855-0603 or go online at organdonorhawaii.com, organtransplants.org or organdonor.gov.

As the 15-year-old Baldwin High School sophomore was near death in the critical care unit at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center, they realized that he had designated himself a potential organ donor on his driver's permit.

The Tumpaps, who are divorced, said they didn't hesitate to honor his wishes.

"I'm so proud that he would take the time to consider organ donation. Four people are alive because of this," Janice Tumpap said.

Cory's heart was transplanted into a 27-year-old man, the first heart transplant in Hawai'i in nearly two years, and his two kidneys and liver were given to three other Hawai'i patients.

All are doing well, according to Darryl Ing, executive director of the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i.

In Hawai'i, 385 people were on a waiting list for organ transplants at the end of January, the most recent figure available. All but 31 of them were awaiting new kidneys, Ing said.

Because of privacy issues, information on organ donors and recipients generally is not released. Often, they do not want to know or make contact with each other, he said.

Janice Tumpap said that knowing Cory's untimely death brought life to others has provided some comfort amid overwhelming grief. "He had a heart of gold," she said. "He was so pure, and I'm finding out more and more things about him. He was very unselfish and very loving."

Cory's asthma had become worse since the family moved back to Hawai'i from the Mainland in 1998. He always carried two or three inhalers in his backpack and his mom had placed albuterol, a medicine used to treat breathing problems, in every room of their Wailuku house.

At about 2:30 a.m. March 19, Janice Tumpap and fiancé Ron Mitsumura were awakened by the screams of her sister, Debbie Cabais, and they found Cory sprawled on the staircase. Cabais said the teenager had come downstairs from his bedroom gasping for air. His last words were, "I can't breathe."

The three began cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived. Cory suffered cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to Maui Memorial Medical Center and was resuscitated, but he remained unconscious.

He was transferred the next day to the O'ahu hospital, where his family learned that Cory's brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long and that he would not recover.

"He was so looking forward to running track the next day," Tumpap said of the night of the asthma attack. The 10th-grader competed in the high jump and hurdles for Baldwin High, and also loved playing paintball and online video games, hanging out with his friends and listening to music.

His mother said that in the last months of his short life, Cory had discovered the music of Bruddah Iz and constantly listened to his albums, especially the song "Hawai'i 78," which imagines what the Islands' royal leaders would think of Hawai'i today.

His family was playing the music softly in his room at Kaiser when a hospital worker came in to ask where the sound was coming from. That worker was Marlene Kamakawiwo'ole, widow of the famed musician, who died in 1997.

"She prayed with me over Cory. It was so touching. I told her what a difference his music had made in Cory's life ... ," Tumpap said. "Bruddah Iz is another example of a pure heart."

When the family was asked about donating the teenager's organs, Cory's older brother, Joseph "Iokepa" Tumpap, a former disc jockey on Maui's popular KPOA-FM radio station, said he had noticed the "organ donor" designation on his driver's permit, and Cory's dad also recalled seeing it when his son got the permit in October.

Cory Tumpap always carried two or three inhalers in his backpack for his asthma. Family photo

Joseph Carroll, 16, has his driver's license but said he didn't realize he could sign up as a potential organ donor. He said he's planning to change his license to show the designation.

Kawika Baugher, 16, said he'll make sure it's noted when he gets his driver's permit. "Ever since this happened and Cory said he would donate his organs (on his permit), I'm going to do it," he said.

Ing of the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i said Cory's story illustrates the importance of discussing organ donation with family members.

"At the time of death, families generally try to abide by the wishes of their loved ones, and informing families of your wishes removes the burden of wondering what you would have wanted in regards to organ donation," he said.

"Designation on the driver's license or State of Hawai'i ID has been a tremendous help to our coordinators when approaching families on donation. It is one method of documenting the decision on organ donation that is visible."

Visitation for Cory will be begin at Borthwick Norman's Mortuary in Wailuku at 9 a.m. tomorrow — six days shy of his 16th birthday — with a service at 11 a.m.

Reach Christie Wilson at (808) 244-4880 or cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.

About 20 asthma sufferers in Hawai'i die yearly

WAILUKU, Maui — Baldwin High School sophomore Cory Tumpap had always been able to quell his asthma attacks with inhalers, but in the early morning hours of March 19 there would be no relief.

Tumpap, 15, collapsed at home, unable to breathe, and suffered irreparable brain damage. He died a week later at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center.

"It happened so quickly. He couldn't even talk to us," said his mother, Janice Tumpap.

She said she had no idea her son's disease was severe enough to kill him, and she wants other parents to know how serious asthma is.

People in Hawai'i die of asthma-related causes at a rate of about 20 a year, but the number could be higher because the deaths are not always attributed to the ailment, according to Dr. Wallace Matthews, a pediatric pulmonologist at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children.

The local branch of the American Lung Association estimates 106,000 people — including 30,000 children — in Hawai'i suffer from asthma, a chronic lung disease in which airways become blocked or narrowed, resulting in shortness of breath and other symptoms. Triggers include exercise, air pollution and allergens such as dust mites, mold, pollen, animal dander or cockroach debris.

Hawai'i has a high rate of asthma, partly because of its tropical climate, which allows plants to bloom year-round, said Matthews, president of the Hawai'i Thoracic Society, a group of medical professionals in respiratory, pulmonary and related specialties. Other factors include a higher rate of the disease among Asians and smoking — even if it is limited to outdoors, he said.

"People used to think you couldn't die from it ... ," Matthews said. "It can be a life-threatening disease, especially if not managed well and if patients aren't taking corrective medicine."

Because inhalers are so effective in most cases, asthma patients have come to rely on them for relief. In a severe episode, they may take one dose after another, waiting for the medicine to take effect instead of seeking emergency care, Matthews said. The result can be a costly delay in getting treatment.

"If it's not working, get help. Go to the emergency room or call 911. Don't keep huffing on inhalers," he said. "They're so effective that people expect that they are going to work."

Patients also should find a medical provider who takes the disease seriously, get regular treatment and use preventive, control and maintenance medication, Matthews said.

For details, visit American Lung Association Web sites at www.lungusa.org or www.ala-hawaii.org.