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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, August 6, 2004

Friends will jam for Jimbo

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

He was a favorite on local radio for five years and made a slew of movie and TV appearances, but these days, people hardly recognize James "Jimbo" Medeiros.

He has lost 137 pounds — "almost a whole person", he says — and has scars on his arms from his three-times-a-week dialysis treatments.

"People think I'm on drugs," he says, laughing.

Medeiros laughs a lot for a man who is so ill.

He's just 31, the youngest patient at the dialysis center where he is treated. Two years ago, his kidneys all but stopped functioning.

What: Ka Mele O Ke Ola

When: Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.; silent auction starts at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Ron Bright Theatre at Castle High

Tickets: $12 presale, $15 at the door

Call: 235-3791 or 372-9113

"The condition I got is called IGA nephropathy," he says. "The doctor explained it to me saying it's like leukemia — they don't know what causes it. You just get it. It's just luck of the draw."

He hasn't been able to work for the past two years. His condition — end-stage renal failure — has brought a host of other medical problems: bursitis, high blood pressure, painful gout, congestive heart failure.

"I've been sick for so long now, I actually forget what it's like not to be sick." When he speaks, he still has that buoyant, easygoing local boy sound in his voice that made him so engaging on radio.

Medeiros is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. While he waits, he tries to focus on the future. He's seen other dialysis patients grow weary and give up.

"I have two daughters. One's 4 and one's 14. I don't want to leave my girls behind. That's my motivation."

Though his weight didn't cause the kidney failure, it probably exacerbated the condition, and that's something he wants other easygoing local boys to think about.

"I didn't realize how big I'd gotten. I was 407 pounds. Now I talk to a lot of people about losing weight, eating healthy. I didn't do anything healthy until I got my diagnosis. It was a big slap in the face. I think I got my biggest when I was in high school, just sitting around doing nothing, drinking soda and pigging out. My message is to teenagers — take care of yourself now so you don't end up like me."

When Medeiros' friends started talking about holding a benefit concert for him, he wasn't too keen on the idea. "Who would come play for me? Maybe when I was in radio, but there's nothing I can do for them now."

But his favorite musicians committed to the concert with no hesitation. Ilona Irvine, Toa, Opihi Pickers and Natural Vibes are set to play for "Jimbo" on Aug. 27. "How cool is that?" Medeiros says with a laugh.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.