"When are you going to run Roy Sakuma's interview again?" we keep getting asked at PBS Hawaii.
One woman told us, "I really want my friend to hear his story, because it shows how you can rise from the ashes of a very tough life."
A man wrote, "I think it'll be an inspiration for my teenager, who needs to develop resilience from disappointments."
Prominent Hawaii ukulele teacher Roy Sakuma publicly disclosed for the first time on PBS Hawaii's weekly program LONG STORY SHORT that he grew up living with his mother's and brother's serious mental illness. His found life to be chaotic and bewildering. Later, as an adult, he received counseling to help him sort out his childhood "misconceptions," and took the step of committing his mother to a mental hospital so that she could be treated for paranoid schizophrenia. (Earlier, his brother had committed suicide.)
Roy's story surprised many people. His sunny personality and long successful career give no hint of past heartbreak or dysfunction.
For those who want to hear Roy's story, it's available now online for your Ipod or MP3 player--or you can just listen on your computer. Go to the LONG STORY SHORT page at http://pbshawaii.org/ourproductions/longstory.php and click on the links on the left side to get the audio file that works for you. A written transcript of the two-part Roy Sakuma shows is also available on the LONG STORY SHORT page of this website.
We'll also schedule television re-broadcasts of LONG STORY SHORT featuring Roy Sakuma. Next new installment of LONG STORY SHORT, airing at 7:30pm Tuesday (Aug. 12) features Hawaii radio personality Jacqueline "Skylark" Rossetti.
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