KINGSTON — “Makoa,” a Hawaiian name, means “courageous,” “fearless,” a warrior.
Little did Angela and Kapono Saffery know how apt the name would be.
Makoa Saffery, 8, is out to beat cancer. In treatment at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma since February, Makoa is strong, upbeat and determined, despite the grueling chemotherapy regimen, according to hospital staff.
“I can say that Makoa is really a trooper. He’s a tough kid,” said Kristen Bishop, a certified child life specialist supporting Makoa and his family during treatment.
Makoa’s classmates at Richard Gordon Elementary School in Kingston have a daily reminder of their friend, despite his prolonged absence. The hospital has provided a large stuffed monkey to keep Makoa’s seat warm until he can return to school. The kids write letters and put them in Monkey’s backpack to keep Makoa up on all the news from Ms. Alice Jackson’s classroom.
“Dear Makoa … ,” Kimora Fejeran wrote. “At school, Monkey has been silly and mostly good. … In music, we got to watch videos.”
“We have been learning about mealworms a lot, and they’re really, really gross,” said Tali Tippie. “We’ve had a lot of escapees. … Two fell on Ava’s desk. Ms. Jackson had to pick them up really gently and put them back onto the plate.”
The “Monkey in My Chair” is one of many support services the hospital offers to seriously ill patients and their families.
“One thing we recognize with kids who have any serious illness, we recognize their life looks very different than it did prior to their diagnosis,” Bishop said. “We know having a cancer diagnosis can be very isolating because kids are not in school for a period of time.”
Making the connection through Monkey helps Makoa feel like part of the class even when he’s not there.
“I thought it was the cutest thing,” said his mom Angela, Saffery. “He thought it was funny. He said, ‘Is this me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, you can be a monkey.’ ”
When the first batch of letters came, “he sat and read every single one of them,” his mom said. And when he was too tired to go on, he had his mother read the rest.
Monkey also has been good for Makoa’s classmates.
“For kids in the classroom, there’s a certain void,” Bishop said. “It’s a way for them to recognize Makoa is still around. It gives them the opportunity to think about him and communicate with him.”
“Makoa is a fighter, and he’s a go-getter,” said his teacher, Alice Jackson. “And we’re really missing him here in the classroom.”
Makoa began having flu-like symptoms in January.
“He just wasn’t himself. He’s always so full of energy,” Angela Saffery said.
The day he had to sit down on the steps of the ferry to rest, his family knew this wasn’t an ordinary childhood illness. On Feb. 24 — two days before his birthday — they learned he had lymphoma. Treatment started almost immediately.
While the doctors and nurses tended to his physical care, Bishop was by Makoa’s side, helping him understand the daunting medical words and what to expect from procedures.
“Monkey in My Chair” is an optional program for families.
“We’re so grateful just to the entire community. There’s so many people and places that have done so much for us,” Angela Saffery said. “It’s amazing all the support we’ve gotten.”
