April West Oahu Hospice Hero

Islands Hospice’s community liaison, Myra Ondayog, is always surprised by the resilience and strength of hospice patients. She remembers taking 15 liters of oxygen to a patient who was unresponsive and seeing that same patient talking and eating just six months later. 

“From that point, I realized that every person determines their fate. The mind and will are strong,” said Myra. “No family member, doctor, or nurse determines when a person will pass. I tell families that with hospice, it's one day at a time, and your loved one will determine when he or she is ready for the next journey.” 

For the past nine years, Myra has been in the field as a community liaison. She educates hospital staff, nursing home staff and doctors on the many services Islands Hospice provides to their patients and the community. She is often the first person that the family meets to learn about care options and helps to put them at ease. Myra also works to dispel any myths or stigmas relating to hospice care and helps hospitals with discharge planning, DME, transportation and coordinating admissions with the intake team.

Myra received an associate’s degree in marketing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California. After spending 16 years in the retail industry as a manager, assistant buyer and assistant HR manager, Myra decided it was time for a change and went back to school to earn her bachelor’s degree in accounting from UH West Oahu. She had a brief stint at a CPA firm and at Cycle City, but after a few years working with numbers, she realized something was missing. “I loved numbers, but I missed interacting with people.”

Myra ended up in marketing at Ka Panuwai Ola, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center. There, she became familiar with working in a care setting and built relationships with hospital social workers and elderly patients. Although she worked at a nursing home, she didn’t have many hospice patients, so when she joined Islands Hospice in 2011, she was a little apprehensive. Fortunately, her husband supported her decision and reinforced the fact that her new career would allow her to do great things for the community as an “educator” for people in tough positions. “Every member of our company plays an important part in our patients’ and their families’ lives.”

During her spare time, Myra enjoys cruising with her husband of 24 years on his motorcycle, relaxing in their backyard with their four adult children and six grandchildren, with one more grandchild on the way in September 2020.