The Wilcox Boys
OFTEN THERE ARE
PATIENTS AND
FAMILIES WHOSE
STORIES AND PERSONALITIES
LEAVE LASTING IMPRESSIONS
on the staff at Kapi‘olani Medical
Center for Women & Children. Such
was the case with four young patients
that the nurses named “The Wilcox
Boys” because of the inseparable
bond the boys formed during their
hospital stay in the Wilcox ward.
Mahoe Dancel, Jr., 13; Bjorn Astrom,
8; Aidan Gadingan, 10; and Jayven
Alvarez-Hopkins, 10, first met during
their physical therapy sessions. Mahoe
was admitted with a brain injury;
Jayven with Guillain-Barré syndrome,
a rare disorder that can lead to full-body
paralysis; Bjorn with injuries from a car
accident; and Aidan with meningitis.
Each boy faced his own set of challenges.
But soon, they were inseparable. The four
first bonded over video games, Pokémon,
sports and other shared interests. Within
weeks, the foursome could be found in
matching shirts and personalized hats
playing hallway tag in their wheelchairs.
“Having friends in the hospital made my
time more fun,” Aidan said. “Jayven
and I both like Pokémon and when he
left Kapi‘olani, he gave me his tin of
Pokémon cards.”
Wilcox Boys during hospitalization when they became friends and required wheelchairs in
2018. Now they are all back to active lives. From left to right Aidan Gadingan, Mahoe Dancel,
Jayven Alvarez-Hopkins and Bjorn Astrom.
Their connection really helped the
boys. Neighbor island families can
feel isolated when they’re living away
from home. Since two of the kids’
families live on the Big Island and
one on Kaua‘i, they became each
other’s support systems. “Out of
something so devastating, we were
able to form connections,” said
Mahoe’s mom, Sharra. “The boys
formed friendships, cheered each
other on and when they had hard
times, they pushed each other a
little harder.”
During their more than 90-day hospital
stay, the Wilcox Boys spent their time
at various Kapi‘olani services including
the Brain Station, rehabilitation
activities, Child Life therapy and
visits to the Playroom. All of these
programs benefit from Children’s
Miracle Network (CMN) donations.
“Bjorn and I played Mario Kart in the
Playroom a lot,” Jayven said. The
mobile game cart that was funded
by gifts to the CMN Radiothon is
fully loaded with an Xbox, television
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