By Raphael O’Suna

Fear is a nasty business. It can turn a human being into a demon and a community into a mob.

It can turn a heart into a dry mango pit and an open aura into a bubblesuit. Stay with me, and you’ll understand why I chose that odd word “bubblesuit.”

Twenty-five years ago, when AIDS began to become an issue on Maui, the medical fraternity seemed terrified of, and paralyzed by this unknown disease. Very few doctors felt comfortable treating these young men. Even Maui Memorial treated them both differently and poorly.

Because Dr. Kuperman and I made ourselves available to these patients, we attracted most of the AIDS patients on Maui. Early on, people were so fearful, that a rumor went around that we must have had AIDS ourselves, since we seemed fearless in the face of such a contagious disease. This rumor scared off many of our other patients.

Kuperman was a man of principle; someone who took his oath seriously. I was simply empathetic.

Upon the death of our first AIDS patient, who we had temporarily housed at Menehune Shores, we began calling around to the local mortuaries. At first, we could get no one to come for the body. Using mild threats, warnings and appeals to the law, Dr. Kuperman finally found a brave soul, who promised to come to Menehune Shores.

Dr. Kuperman and I stood outside the condo and awaited the man. We both suppressed our laughter, when a man emerged from the parking lot wearing a bubblesuit. He looked like an astronaut. Kuperman called him the “Michelin Man.”
Slowly, he made his way towards us. Covered from head to toe, he could hardly walk.

Fear can wipe away a man’s sanity. Even his humanity. It can turn a community into a mob. It can shrink a heart, and turn an aura into a prison.