CHASE

The words below were offered to me by my friend, Kurt Ken Kaminaka. He is an incredibly gifted actor, writer, filmmaker and musician that I had the great fortune to meet through my film festival, Art is Alive. He is also a father, who lost his son, Chase. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into a ginormous young man.

Chase was a sweet boy and surprised me in so many ways. From a young age, he learned very quickly. He learned to juggle very proficiently and was fifth in the state for tennis. He ended up being fourth best in the state in a French competition, and second best in sales at Cutco. However, his greatest love was music. He picked up the guitar at age fourteen and shortly thereafter, flourished and was the only high school student playing with adults in major theater plays in Honolulu. Chase then got into the jazz guitar program at the New School in New York City. Only seventy-five individuals were accepted from applicants all over the world. He finished one year and then got severely depressed. He tried again and got into Wesleyan (ninth best according to Forbes) and made an attempt at creative writing. While heading back for his second semester, he called his mother while waiting for a connecting flight to Connecticut and said he couldn't do it. I then had to go to get him and bring him back to Honolulu. He then tried again at the University of Hawaii, but after one semester, said it was too easy and that they didn't have courses that he wanted.

Since that time, his condition had deteriorated. He started hearing voices and was diagnosed with the condition schizophrenic psychosis. The psychiatrist tried every drug and combination that he could. It helped somewhat, but not enough. On May 29, 2024, he ran and jumped off a bridge. He was in a coma for thirty days. His mother and I visited every day. He fought to come back but did not make it. He was twenty-seven years young. His celebration of life took place on July 27, 2025.

He wrote a song when he was sixteen that was magical, and it is entitled "If this is Goodbye". This is now the title of my fourth, and most important, feature film. This serves as the theme song of the movie and will feature Chase singing & playing guitar. Writing this and making this tribute to Chase is very healing. Chase will be, without a doubt, the star, sharing his talents with the world.

Direct contact to Chase’s father, is here: Facebook