An 18-year-old recent graduate of Punahou School is headed to Harvard.
But before he begins his journey to college, he wants to help others live healthier lives.
He’s organized a big health expo that was inspired by personal loss.
As a child Michael Yasunaga loved the lime light.
"From the time I was young my sister liked to do plays and being like the other child my parents really didn’t have any other way to leave me at a baby sitter…so they would bring me along and so that’s how I started getting into these plays,” he said.
Now 18 years old and a recent high school graduate, the bright and talented Punahou alum has taken his talents off the stage to help others as a volunteer for the American Heart Association.
"My grandpa had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery 33 years ago and he is still alive and my uncle passed away from a stroke in 2010,” he said.
As part of his senior project Michael decided to turn his passion for heart health into a community health expo.
"Getting this event done at the same time was a little difficult because I had to do things like trying to arrange for vendors to donate things for us and try to get publicity for the event, to make sure there are people there,” he said.
The teen says he is torn between studying medicine and business but in the meantime he hopes to save lives as coordinator of Life’s Simple 7 Health Expo.
"And it’s really going to try to inform the public about heart health and the importance of it because what they found is that up to 80-percent of heart disease is preventable,” he said.
The event will be held Saturday, June 30th at the Queen’s Medical Center and features guest speakers, zumba, CPR classes and breakfast and lunch are included.
"It’s the number one killer in the state which means that we could be saving around 200 lives a year if we informed more people about heart disease and how to keep healthy,” he said.
LIFE’S SIMPLE 7 HEALTH EXPO
SATURDAY, JUNE 30TH
8AM-1PM
QUEEN’S CONFERENCE CENTER
457-4965
$10
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
