LIHU‘E — Laura Mission never misses the opportunity to get into the water. Mission has been fighting debilitating brain tumors since the first ones were found and removed in 1995, when she was just a teenager. As she continues to fight her condition, Mission has become increasingly immobile and confined to a wheelchair.
For Laura Mission and others like her, access to the water with trained watermen all around allows them to swim, surf, socialize, and enjoy the beach each month through Kaua‘i Ocean Recreation Experience.
Kurt Leong, a Hanalei firefighter, and Suzie Woolway, a speech therapist who is transitioning from ‘Ohana Sports Medicine to ‘Ohana Home Healthcare, came together when they each saw the need for a program of this type, but found nothing available for Kaua‘i. So they joined together to form KORE under the umbrella of the YMCA in 2009.