KAILUA-KONA — At 6 years old, Heather Reynolds was in a wheelchair for about a week. And during that time, she said she knew others were treating her differently.
“And I noticed that everybody was treating me like I was disabled,” she said. “They were treating me like they didn’t know what to do with me, like I was making them very uncomfortable.”
Years later and now the owner of Mermaid Dreams Bed and Breakfast in Kealakekua, Reynolds said that memory still sticks with her.
After an experience at an International Mermaid Covention in Florida several years ago, Reynolds realized that being in a wheelchair doesn’t have to be anyone’s defining characteristic. To boost children’s confidence and self-esteem, the woman partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary to create mermaid tails for kids who use wheelchairs.
“I realized that if little girls and boys were in wheelchairs and they wanted to step up into their mythic life, their mythic selves and find all of their amazing gifts that they have to offer the world, that sometimes putting a mermaid tail on changes how the whole world responds to you and how you feel about yourself,” she said.
On Tuesday, Reynolds and representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary presented its first mermaid tail to Kahakai Elementary School third-grader Belinda Alacoa.
Alacoa, 10, is in a wheelchair and moved to Kona two months ago from Kosrae, an island in Federated States of Micronesia.
During the presentation to Alacoa, who was surrounded by her classmates, Reynolds spoke to the girl, welcoming her into the “mermaid sisterhood.”
“And today, you’ll become a real mermaid, not just a costume, but inside you get to bubble up with life and vitality for the whole ocean,” Reynolds told the girl. “And whether you can walk or not doesn’t matter when you’re a mermaid. And how amazing and powerful and beautiful you are, it’s just natural when you’re a mermaid.”
Gaylene Hopson, of the VFW Auxiliary, said they got involved with Reynolds’ efforts after hearing of Reynolds’ dream of boosting kids’ self-esteem.
Alacoa’s teacher, Hopson explained, is also part of the auxiliary and, when the project came up at a recent meeting, she said the initiative would be perfect for the 10-year-old.
“And we said great,” Hopson said. “She’ll be the first one.”
Hopson said it was something the group could get involved with, getting together volunteers to purchase the fabric and sew the tails.
Hopson said they’ve already made six tails and are in the process of making pirate-themed merman tails for boys. The organization is in communication with local principals to find children to whom they can gift the tails.
Hopson said she works a lot with veterans in wheelchairs and that the general experience is that “people see the wheelchair, they don’t see the person.”
“So I’m hoping that with the children, that when they roll into a room, people won’t see their chair, they’re gonna see them,” said Hopson. “They’re gonna see their tail and it’ll lift their self-esteem and make them feel special.”
Janet Silberman, vice principal of Kahakai Elementary School, said she hopes the program helps all students.
“I think that it will help all students realize that there’s special gifts in them, even maybe when they don’t have all the normal physical capabilities that most people have,” she said.
She said Reynolds’ presentation was “a beautiful story, that I think will help Belinda recognize her gifts and feel very special to be given this gift.”
“Today, some of the students may have seen Belinda for the first time and learned more about her,” she added. “And we want all our students to appreciate differences and include everyone.”