A brain tumor may have slowed this high school athlete’s paddling goals, but it didn’t derail them

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii State high school canoe paddling season wrapped up Saturday at Keehi lagoon.

But one Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii athlete was a champion before he even stepped in the water.

Noah Pila is a senior paddler for the Warriors.

He was getting ready for his last season in the water when a sudden diagnosis in December changed the trajectory of his life.

“I had a seizure at the beach after paddling race.” Pila told Hawaii News Now. “So we took an MRI, they found out there’s a tumor and that’s when I got medevaced to Oahu.”

Pila was rushed to the Queen’s Medical Center where he underwent seven hours of surgery to remove a brain tumor.

After a successful operation, his real fight began.

“He just started showing up on day three and just recovered so well and being determined to like, you know, just fight it,” said Pila’s mom, Anna Golden.

During his road to recovery, Pila’s mind was on re-joining his teammates.

“I don’t really see it as a fight for my life, It’s more of like just a little speed bump in life.” Pila said.

“My boys, they were there in the ER when I was about to get medevacked and they were just supporting me through it and then making sure we keep on taking home golds while I was gone.”

That’s just what they did, making it to all the way the BIIF Championships with Pila making his return to the team, helping them secure a league title and a spot in the state tournament.

“The mentality was to just stay undefeated until he came back and even until now, like, he kept us pushing and motivated,” said Pila’s teammate, Niau Paulos.

The Warriors from the Big Island came in seventh overall, but Noah’s hard-fought comeback was a victory unto itself.

The fight isn’t over for Pila, though. He’ll soon have to travel to San Francisco to undergo more treatment.

“It is going to be quite a journey, but we’re ready for it, Noah’s got this and we got him.” Golden Kaaua said. “So we’re going to fight hard and he’s going to be the one to get through this.”

To help PIla’s family cover expenses, click here.

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