 As we journey to take your health back we are coming to you live from my home in the sky and from downtown Honolulu from the studios of Think Tech Hawaii. Today we will hear from a handsome young 19 year old man as we journey with him as he's growing healthy despite COVID-19 and isolation. What we would like you to take away from today's discussion is on finding hope through adversities but honestly I don't even know that he looks at it that way in his life. He's just a young positive man with a very positive smile on his face at all times and that's the way I've grown to know him. Today we are very honored to welcome 19-year-old farmer Jax Kamaloha Arruda the owner of newly formed Kamaloha tower greens welcome Jax. Hello. Yeah I mean so I know you're you're a little bit gonna have fun with us today and you feel like oh you're so young but we're gonna have fun okay because the main thing is we share your heart with everybody who's watching us all right? Yeah. Okay so just before we get started can you just share a little bit about yourself and your health journey you know I know that you had a lot of health challenges and your family and you faced your when you were born and you have a few health challenges would you like to share a little bit about your humble beginnings when you're. Sure. My name is Jax Kamaloha Arruda. I am 19. I graduated last year in 2019 and I have this this gene where it's called KCM1A but there's no real name for it because there's only three other people in the world that have it. I know it's also called Fangenital Fiber Type 1 Myopathy. Is that what it was? Yeah. But you weren't diagnosed with that right off the bat because I think you were little and they were trying to find something was different about you. At the age of like two or five they my parents took me to the hospital and they said like he's not walking yet but he rolls but he points his body and he rolls towards the object that I wanted so that's basically what happened and then I got older and I started crawling on my knees. Wow and I know your parents went through a lot of medivacs from because you're from Hilo. They had to get you over to Queen's Hospital or different all Shriners and the different hospitals to just try and diagnose what the heck was going on with our cute little baby right and you just left everybody baffled with what's going on with Jax. So let's go fast forward all right. So you know I know that you are cute baby because you're a handsome young man so you got to be cute when you're little but you are also named MDA's ambassador but not just for one year. I think you held the title for three years so just tell us a little bit Jax what were some of your responsibilities as ambassador for MDA and I know we have a cute picture of you doing that. So my responsibility for being the ambassador of MDA was donation so I would go to KTA and what was mainly KTA and we had set up a table and I would ask for donations for summer cap every year at summer where all the kids that are in wheelchairs that have muscular disease people when they have fun at cap because that's the only time they can get out. Right and you pretty much I think parents were not invited but they could come drop you off and pick you up because I remember you all invited me and I met you at Cap Erdman and I was watching you and you had so much fun I mean what wheelchair what special needs I mean you're like just one young kid just having a little time with all the other kids right. Yep and that's what it's all about isn't it? Yeah. So tell me did you miss your mom and dad? First time I went to camp I did but after that is I didn't miss them. Yeah well that you were growing up and that's what the camp is all about for you not to think about home and other things that you experienced day-to-day and to remove you from that environment and to just have a great time with your other peers letting you know that you're not alone and you're special but all the group all the kids there are special and so just giving you all the love and aloha I think that's basically what the camp is all about. So now I know that you had many health challenges from having your stomach pumped up I mean it was a lot lodged into your chest so you need a feeding tool when you're a baby because you weren't eating well because you had a lot of different pains and issues and then I know your lower limbs were not able to support you so now that you're a 19 years old tell us now how do you get around these days? Well I crawl on my knees around around the house and then and then once in a while I try and stand up and I walk to just exercise my legs and I have a wheelchair that when I go out I use my wheelchair most of the time. Right well that's amazing I mean I have a friend he has no arms and no legs and I would love to introduce you to him when he comes to the big island and I for sure will because he's remarkable just like you are and I know that you're going to be mentoring so many people watching this show by letting them know that all things are possible so besides being the MDA ambassador for a few years in a row another very respectable accomplishment that you achieve is reaching the highest level of scouting and that in itself is I mean is a big deal so how did you do that Jax? It was a it was a journey for me because some of the requirements I couldn't I couldn't do it because it was like swimming and stuff but most of it like before people people would say that you know it might be hard for me but in my head I'm telling myself that you might think that but to me it's a challenge and I want to take that challenge. Amen I mean that's what's you're gonna what's gonna get you over that hill or that that difficulty is just knowing that you can right and that's the positive thinking within you and I admire that so much and I know you have such a great brain because you have this special gift I remember once when I visited you like five or six years ago you were taking apart a laptop computer I'm like what are you doing there and right you're really mechanically in tune that you can take anything apart and put it back together is that correct? Yeah. Wow I mean I can't do that so you see you all we all have different gifts that we have to just make sure we material are capitalized on I should say so now you got to be in an ego scout I know you didn't get there alone so is there anyone you want to give a shout out to give a shout out to my scout master Derek Izumo because he helped me through the the middle and ending so and then my mentor Sami Sampaga and my my parents too because they've been through they've been through it with me through all of it. Right I mean that's the strength to what you have your ohana behind you is solid your brother is your sister and your parents are just 100% that's where you get your strength and your confidence is because you're right there just you know waiting and then but you know what you never fail you just keep going and that's positive attitude that has you up and going wherever you want to go and I know you're going to many places far and up and beyond so now I know that you never miss a party as well you're like a party kid right so I we have a picture of you here and you're all decked out okay what's the occasion for that oh no senior prom so did you have a great time yeah um which oh so that night we just bought an orange Silverado but the day before so I pulled up to prom and an orange suit and I hopped on Silverado so tell me is that your favorite color oh yeah okay that's why the orange suit I mean you look spiffy man again I bet you were to talk about prom that night no that looks so much fun I wish I was there that's a one time I wish I was a younger person so I could have been there and watched you at that very enjoyable occasion okay so now you're going into your senior and I know you have a senior project so tell us about what you did for your senior project okay for my senior project I built a 8x12 um tiny home and it's on a trailer wow my brother helped me with the trailer and then that's my oldest my brother Max and then my little brother Rex helped me with the like putting on the rough and stuff because he can't get up and do all that right wow so you have the brains and the ability and he has the height my sister is shorter than me but she's really smart and I'm tall and I'm not as smart as her so we make a good team right so you know this tiny house on on a trailer what a beautiful concept that is jack's because that tiny house is sufficient for what many many people just need that's all we need is that tiny house and you're so cutting edge that you are able to put that together and have it transportable and I understand that you sewed it yeah and then and you made some capital and we're gonna talk about where that capital went for the next couple sites down we're gonna talk about capital okay so that's great and then now the greatest feat of high school is graduation day okay you're a little bit about your graduation day with us well graduation was a day to remember because I'm what you call I stayed in action year back in high school and because because I can because I'm in a wheelchair get a little bit more smarter yeah um that night was the most funnest night of all because just knowing that you graduated from high school and you did it another mountain that you climbed and how how amazing is that for you jacks all the different hills and mountains that you're climbing it's preparing you for even greater mountains and hills you know that okay those are the easy bumps now we're gonna go for the big challenge right called life right it's called life so now after you graduated from high school and you did you have did you were you able to find any kind of jobs yeah I thought I found a job and I worked at Queen Malama it was the Hawaiian she I haven't worked in so long because of COVID-19 right because of COVID-19 that you you ended that job yeah okay it was it was it was literally like beef because um I was almost up at my um because I worked for all of the K so that I had a three-month period right so um which calm they said that I cannot finish my last week because of COVID-19 oh my gosh so COVID-19 comes along and so now you're stuck at home and are you asking your mom hey mom I really want to go to work I need to make money I want to get out and do something productive is that right yeah and then was it difficult to find something to to someone to employ you at that time yeah I was kind of hired because a lot of people were you know looking for jobs too so right but you know I think that's where we started talking about this project we're gonna talk about next but your mom says to me oh Jackson's bummed out he can't find him can't find a job because of COVID I said no I said same like a few thousand maybe a hundred thousand people right now that can't find a job or lost your job because of isolation and COVID so I said you know what you got some of those garden things out in the front of your yard go ask the family if they want to do this as a business and let Jack's take this and run with it is and so I want you to share with us um out of this in a negative situation the isolation there was something very positive that came out of COVID and that's going to spark a new chapter in your life so I want you to share that that's really a sunshine in your life right now yeah so um one Monday night we have family home evening and Max guys Max and his family was over and we're talking and then my mom was talking to you and she said um and then you guys are talking about the tower guidance and on the side and in the back and then my mom told Max and then Max was like oh yeah that'd be a really good business right now because there's a lot of you know people that want vegetables right and so this is the night it was pretty much birth the idea and that was probably I want I want to say six or seven weeks ago so it wasn't that long ago it's not even two months ago this was about seven weeks ago not just making seven weeks I would say and you know so the photo that came up earlier that's the picture of your support team your family your Ohana and they just love you so much Jackson I know you love your family tremendously and that's why this all worked out so well it was put to the family to say hey this might be a good idea for Jackson let's see if he wants to run with it and you said yes and that's basically what you needed to do because if you said nah ma nah I don't wait for something better right but you said okay and your brothers all agree that this may be the right thing for you to take and run with is that correct yeah yeah and again I got to remind people that this just transpired about seven weeks ago right okay so now in the next slide we have coming up so the decision to start a start up a farm with you and your family is what happens next so tell us a little bit about this picture Jax so this picture is where we're flossing we're making the ground flat so we can pour a piece of concrete so we can make a concrete slab so we can put our tower gardens on top right so building the first step to doing a solid business is building a great foundation right and so the whole family is chipped in and um and this this foundation the concrete slab was poured now um now you can talk about you know that house that tiny house that you sold there was some income that you all made from that is it right oh yeah okay and so you all decided that hey why don't we invest in this farm by using some of that money right yeah and then I also understand and people might have different opinions about this but I know your mom and dad got some money in the mail okay and where they was it the stimulus checks yep okay yeah and so most people you know some people might think hey the government gave that money to your family so you can survive and eat food today but what they did as a ohana as a team around you you all decided that you know what we'll eat less and we'll have less for the next month because we have a little but I know that you all invested that money to pay for that slab all right and it was just about enough so we want to say thank you to um the stimulus checks from the government so we want them and then that you were your ohana put it to good use by the best foundation for that amazing farm and then what did what is your farm called jacks my farm is called comma aloha power greens right and what does comma aloha mean child of love right and so how amazing were you when you were born your parents gave you comma aloha which is child of love and you truly are a child of love and it's gonna continue to grow as you grow and I'm just so excited about this beginning with all the greatness that you shall bring to his kingdom by providing the food that our body means and I understand that you guys have an issue in Hilo or on that side of your island on the big island what would that little brown thing call be called all the slides yes right so that was a big issue and that's why you guys invested so much to make the best foundation so that of course you on your wheelchair can buzz around just like your little playground and if you wanted to you could also crawl right yeah be on your knees and it wouldn't hurt your knees because you have a beautiful slab there and also I think we made that beautiful stab so that you could see if there were any slugs yeah touch your plans and you would just pick them up and say put them in a bucket of salt water and say bye-bye is that right right because there are so many slugs and the rat lung worm and that's why the big push for you all to do the farm there and I know that when you did develop your first harvest what was some of your goals with that first harvest that you guys are creating my goals was to shit like feed our family and then start spreading the word and get our friends and family to see our vegetables and to reap the harvest and the benefits of the harvest that you all started and so that's what it's all about your building community because I know that one time I was on the phone with you and it's some people came knocking on the door say hey what is that growing in your front yard right yeah what did they do what happened um they bought they wanted to buy your green vegetables and you're like oh my gosh no if you just take it just take it and we're like no you need to get some money back to pay for all those expenses and that's called your business right yeah right so you're a smart businessman and yeah we can give away some but you know you need to really start thinking business-minded because this is come a lot of tower greens and it isn't business and I understand that you went to a few different places and what was the response to the when you shared with them that hey I'm starting a tower on your farm what were their responses Jacks oh they said they wanted to start buying some vegetables from from me see how amazing that is right you didn't even really I mean you're just doing the first crop to share with the neighbors and yet they can realize the goodness of the quality and what were some did they did you hear some of the comments that came back about the lettuce that you all grew oh yeah they said they said this is like this is better than what they were getting before right well first of all they just took it out of the tower so it's pretty much live living food and did they say it was a little bit sweeter and a bit better tasting than most they said it's a little bit more crunchy and more sweet yeah so that's amazing Jacks you're 19 years old you're starting a farm first of its kind on your side of the island producing I wanted I know that you mentioned the number to me you're producing like just under 600 heads of produce of heads of lettuce wow that's that's a lot of lettuce that you're gonna be producing and a lot of friends that are gonna get healthier because of you and your family's endeavors so I'm really excited and I know at this point a lot of the viewers are wondering what are we talking about what are we talking about so I want to share with them I took a little video you gave me with your lettuce and let's watch the goodness of your lettuce coming out of your tower yeah yeah we'll see it's a short clip that you harvesting oh so handsome and the lettuce looks so oh no yeah yeah so is it hard to do this jacks to grow our gardens it's super easy yeah and is it fun yeah it's it's way it's super fun it's like it's better than working out in a real garden I was gonna ask you that so empty said hey you know there's an empty lot over there get plenty weeds and all kind of rocks and stuff can you go clean it up and you know you can have it you can grow vegetables over there would you be as excited oh right and what the heck it's like right in your front yard so you can even work in your pajamas and or work without shirt right because you don't have to go very far you don't have traffic yeah right everything is very convenient and so now the idea is you have people that are wanting to eat and buy your lettuce and so now you just have to fine-tune a little bit of the just the logistics the delivery the harvest times and all of that so and I just want to keep reminding everybody that lettuce that you just saw seven weeks ago it was just the front yard with grass and weeds right no right and then you're as a kid I know you used to play in that yarn probably and now from being your playground now it's your work site yeah right how exciting is this and you know we just want to encourage others that it's all possible everything is possible if you believe and you have the right right work ethics which Jack's has I mean he made it to Eagle Scout he was of course the ambassador for MDA which you know he and it was family how to go out to KTA you said and different markets and sit there and promote MDA and fundraise for them and I understand with that you smile viewers you guys are probably one of the top fundraisers no and that's why they probably asked you to come back because you guys were so successful is that right yeah yeah and so do you still do any work with MDA um not not too much yeah they close their office so not too much so what about all the other kids um in Hilo that need that that service they don't have it they they close the office but they they work at home now so oh because of COVID no they close it down like because um yeah they just close it down because uh wow there's some stuff that went on yeah okay well um I bet people are wondering how do we get in touch with Jack's and how where do we get more information and I know people may want to buy some vegetables or come visit you and talk story but you know public neighbors this is a working farm it's not for you to just go help yourself okay and I have to warn and explain that to people because it's so amazing they all want to just come in and take and take right of course they're gonna pay but you also this is your business it's no different than somebody walking into your store and picking up all your candy bars and potato chips and taking it home right yeah this is your business so well I just want to caution people that be aware and very um yeah sensitive to the fact that this is Jack's livelihood it is his business and he welcomes you and any questions and that's why we put up his business card for you to call him or email him and any questions jacks if you need help with that we have a whole panel of people that can assist you with any of those questions so I'm just excited for you jacks and this is just the beginning it will take some hard work in that sun and rain and I know you addressed some of that with that beautiful tarp covering that you have over your farm but just be prepared hard work is the best thing for you all right and always remember jacks so you know you have to remember success success to me is not just being at the right place at the right time which you were you were at the right place at the right time but the best thing about success is being at the right place at the right time and you taking action yeah right because if you didn't take action it still would be a front yard with grass and weeds but now we have production and a future for you so right now I just want to say mahalo jacks for being such a bright light in a darkness a time of darkness and I just tell you you have truly inspired me and the rest of our viewers to just all start doing greater things because we know all things are possible through price who strengthens us so mahalo jacks and keep on growing aloha mahalo auntie mandy