HONOLULU – APRIL 4, 2007 – KAPOLEI RESIDENT SHARNELL ONAGA WHO captured the hearts of Hawaii residents during her battle with leukemia passed away peacefully yesterday (Tuesday, April 3) surrounded by family and friends.
 |
| Sharnell in September 2006 |
Sharnell leapt into the arms of Jesus. She’s now enjoying a well-deserved rest, not only from the rigors of the past year, but for her lifetime of selfless giving and service as a wonderful wife, great mother, and fabulous friend.
Onaga leaves behind husband Cliff, and three daughters: Kaila (13), Rachel (2), and Sarah (4 months).
Sharnell’s message was one of hope. While she advocated for many things, including bone marrow and cord blood donations, her greatest message was to have faith. Sharnell never wavered in her love for Jesus and spent her last waking hours telling friends and family members to trust in Him. She never lost her joy or that inner beauty that comes from trusting in God.
It was a “routine” check-up while pregnant with Sarah that revealed Sharnell had an aggressive form of leukemia. Though advised by the doctors to terminate her pregnancy to begin treatment, Sharnell never considered that an option and, miraculously, the leukemia was relatively dormant until Sarah was born. In the interim, friends and family mounted a bone marrow donor awareness campaign and signed up over a thousand new potential donors.
After several rounds of chemotherapy at Queen’s Hospital, Sharnell went to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for a cord blood transplant, a relatively new procedure using blood harvested from umbilical cords. An infection delayed the transplant and the leukemia returned full force.
Sharnell returned to Hawaii last week on Thursday, March 29th and spent several days with friends and family at her Kapolei home. She was admitted to Queen’s on Saturday evening.
Tax-deductible donations for the Onaga children’s education fund are being accepted by Friends for Sharnell Onaga through Soroptimist International of Honolulu, a tax-exempt non-profit organization, and may be made payable to SI Honolulu – FFSO and mailed to Friends For Sharnell Onaga, P.O. Box 700814, Kapolei, HI 96709.
