Celebrate Panda Cares Day with Panda Express on August 8 and help Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children is excited to celebrate Panda Cares Day on August 8. Why? Because Panda Express is hosting a one-day virtual fundraiser for area kids treated at Kapiolani Medical Center. When a guest places an order on the Panda Express mobile app or website using the promo code “PandaCaresDay,” Panda will donate 28 percent of online sales to young patients in Hawaii!

Donations collected year round at local Panda Express locations have helped kids like Haumea, Kapiolani’s 2020 Champion.

During a prenatal appointment at 18 weeks pregnant, Kainoa Friel and her husband, Calen, were delivered unexpected news. Their unborn daughter, Haumea, had a birth defect called proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), a condition that leads to one leg being shorter than the other. The complexity of PFFD would require an experienced team of multidisciplinary professionals at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children.

To date, the 5-year-old has undergone more than 10 surgeries.  Recently, Haumea underwent a rare and complex surgical procedure called rotationplasty.  The 16-hour procedure removes part of the leg, rotates the lower leg 180 degrees and attaches the foot to the femur. This allows the foot to function like a knee that can be fitted for a prosthesis.

The kindergartner is flourishing and recently took a giant leap in her recovery process. “She got her prosthetic leg and named it ‘Sparkle,’” Kainoa says. “Haumea is proud of who she is. She is one of the strongest people I know.”

Haumea’s positivity and unstoppable attitude shows everyone around her why she’s a true champion.

So mark your calendars for Saturday, August 8. Panda Cares Day means that every online order of your favorite Panda Express meal helps change kids’ health and change the future – for all of us.