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TI: You know, I want to talk a little bit about when you were about three, you fell and injured your elbow. Can you tell me that story, what happened to your elbow?

TM: (I was) the oldest in the family. My mother, being quite busy, (did) all the washing and housework (using) a huge bucket. She would put me in the bucket and I would be in the bucket and just move around. Apparently, the bucket was on the second floor and I tumbled down and went all the way down and fractured my left elbow. And I was taken to (a bone technician). During those days you didn't have any bone specialists. They had people who were (...) trained in Japan or (learned) to handle fractured arms. They couldn't do a complete job of straightening the elbow. So I ended up with a crooked elbow as you might call it. And that (deformity) was something that was on my mind throughout the years.

TI: And for something like that where it's a serious injury, where would you go for health care?

TM: (...) As I recall, we didn't have any doctors in Kaneohe or in Heeia. Whenever you had a big accident, you (were taken) downtown. All the doctors were in downtown. For minor accidents, you try to work it at home. When it's serious, then you try to see what would be the best way. In the case of my fractured elbow, they had this particular person (work on my arm).

TI: And this was in, I'm sorry, Honolulu or on --

TM: Within the city, actually town.

TI: And this is... but yeah, so if there is a serious injury, you're like over an hour away from the city, I mean, to get there so it could be pretty dangerous if someone got... like a fisherman got serious injury or something and they had to rush him to a hospital, you know, that could be a... it could take a long time to do that.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.