Meals Make Every Day a ‘Good Day’

Kaloea knows about health and well-being; she was a nursing assistant for 30 years. So, when she was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease affecting her lungs, brain, and eyes, the first thing she did was research her condition. The second was to research nutrition that would best support her. Carefully watching her diet, Kaloea got by for a while.

As Kaloea’s disease progressed, though, her daily life was more impacted. Flu-like symptoms plagued her for months. She went through multiple bouts of pneumonia and lost weight. Kaloea’s eyesight was also affected. In her words, her eyes “were shot.”

What bothered her most, though, was that walking through the grocery store and standing in the kitchen while preparing meals became intolerable. On oxygen and experiencing extreme aching in her joints, her ability to carefully manage her nutrition was slipping away.

For ease, Kaloea turned to boxed macaroni and cheese or canned soup. Kaloea said, “It was calories, but it wasn’t nourishment.”

Then, a friend in her building told her about Project Angel Heart. Kaloea was skeptical. She said she knew about other food delivery programs and thought her macaroni and cheese was the same as what those programs offered.

But Kaloea’s friend wouldn’t be deterred. She invited Kaloea to taste a Project Angel Heart meal. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Kaloea. “There were veggies and fish. That meal was unlike anything I’d seen before. And the flavor! You can tell a chef makes the meals.” Kaloea immediately called her doctor and asked if he could help her apply for Project Angel Heart meals.

Since starting with Project Angel Heart, Kaloea says she feels the difference every day. She says the meals help her avoid salt, sugar, and “junk.” She also says they help her do what she wants to do, including classes at the activity center in her building like chair yoga, stretch, and balance. Kaloea says the meals have changed her life. “Now, I get what I need to have a good day.”