Kawai is 20 years old, and 5,000 miles away from his home on Maui.

He suffers an accidental overdose that causes severe brain injury—resulting in him being institutionalized in New Jersey.

His mother wants him home.

Kawai’s mother learns to navigate a very complicated medical system, and embarks on a daring journey to rescue him from a life of being institutionalized and over medicated.

Elinor Meadows wrote this heartfelt memoir to honor her son’s life and to share their story. KAWAI is a testimony of enduring love, resilience, and tenacity that brings hope for all who have shared in the suffering of a loved one, particularly those with disabilities.

The foreword is a song written and recorded by Kawai’s loving father, Walter Becker of Steely Dan