{"id":99110,"date":"2024-01-10T08:18:41","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T18:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?p=99110"},"modified":"2024-01-25T15:17:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T01:17:17","slug":"nicholas-iwamoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/","title":{"rendered":"Against The Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_99111\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99111\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99111\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/20090228-044-cty-stabbing.jpg?resize=335,223 335w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-99111\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nicholas Iwamoto leaves The Queen\u2019s Medical Center after a month recovering from a near-fatal attack in 2009. With him are his father, Sonny Iwamoto, his brother Randy Iwamoto, and his friend, Shane Kim. PHOTO COURTESY <strong>Dennis Oda<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>Nicholas Iwamoto survived a brutal attempted murder. He doesn\u2019t want the community to forget his story \u2014 or those of other victims of violent crime.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Nicholas Iwamoto (no relation to the author) graduated with honors from University of Hawai\u2018i at Hilo in 2020, he proved, once again, that nothing would stop him from living a full and meaningful life.<\/p>\n<p>By the time he\u2019d completed his bachelor\u2019s degree in European history, he had not only survived one of the most vicious attacks in the state\u2019s history, but he\u2019d also become a victim rights advocate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was able to fight for others,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd by fighting for others, I found that I was also fighting for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stabbing survivor Nicholas Iwamoto shares his story and how his life has changed since 2009\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7uX7VKNPaEI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 1, 2009, Iwamoto was 22 years old and on the brink of joining the Hawai\u2018i National Guard. Although it was Super Bowl Sunday, he decided to hit Koko Crater Trail to prove to himself that he was physically ready for military service.<\/p>\n<p>He completed the approximately 1.5-mile hike \u2014 an arduous uphill trek that culminates 1,208 feet above sea level \u2014 and was at the crater\u2019s summit, catching his breath as his heart pounded from exertion, when it happened.<\/p>\n<p>A man approached, shouting about a government setup and Japanese people sent to harm him. By the time Iwamoto, who is Japanese-Scandinavian American, saw the knife, the man was stabbing him in the head, throat, torso and hands.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_99112\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99112\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99112\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-benjamin-davis-04.jpg?resize=335,223 335w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-99112\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iwamoto cries as he delivers his victim impact statement in 2010. With him is his mother, Kitty Iwamoto. <strong>PHOTO COURTESY CRAIG T. KOJIMA<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>He tried to get away but tripped over a rock. His assailant pinned him down. When he made a last-ditch effort to fight back, the guy shoved him over the edge of the crater. He plunged 30 feet, hit his head, then tumbled another 70 feet.<\/p>\n<p>As he lay there \u2014 his neck, ribs and right ankle broken, a fracture causing bleeding between his skull and brain, both lungs collapsed, one lung punctured, his liver and diaphragm lacerated, the artery on his temple severed \u2014 he thought he was going to die.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_99113\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99113\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99113\" src=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/cty-victim-05.jpg?resize=335,223 335w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-99113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iwamoto (pictured with his mother, Kitty) took up knitting as a form of therapy after his attack. He still sells his hand-knit goods via his business NickKnits. The proceeds help cover his medical expenses. <strong>PHOTO COURTESY FL MORRIS <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>At The Queen\u2019s Medical Center, his airway collapsed. Doctors performed a tracheotomy and put him on a ventilator for two weeks. He underwent several surgeries, including one to fuse the bones in his neck. He contracted pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p>Given the severity of his injuries, his recovery after a month at the hospital seemed like a miracle.<\/p>\n<p>He learned to knit as a form of therapy and started his own business, NickKnits, to help cover his medical expenses. He reunited with the good Samaritans who called for help the day of his attack, with the paramedics who got him to the hospital and with the medical staff at Queen\u2019s. He thanked them from the bottom of his heart with hand-knit goods and boxes of malasadas. He returned to Koko Head lookout to reclaim the area as a survivor.<\/p>\n<p>All this despite being rear-ended twice while still healing from a broken neck.<\/p>\n<p>It was his mom \u2014 his hero and biggest supporter \u2014 who urged him to deliver a victim impact statement in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe prosecutor was ambivalent about me speaking,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was my mom who said not speaking was not an option: \u2018This is your chance to tell him and the world what he did to you. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don\u2019t take this opportunity.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was right, as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His statement was riveting and emotional. Although his attacker apologized, a visibly upset Iwamoto, still wearing his neck brace, managed to tell him, \u201cYou ruined my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man who\u2019d nearly killed him had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was transferred from O\u2018ahu Community Correctional Facility to the Hawai\u2018i State Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Iwamoto says he learned to accept the verdict. He tried to focus not on what had been taken from him \u2014 his youth, his innocence, his health, his chance to serve his country in uniform \u2014 but on what he had been able to rebuild.<\/p>\n<p>He took up golfing and became better at it than he had been before his attack. He moved to the Big Island and got a job at a local art gallery. He spoke at church groups, community meetings and crime victim forums. He enrolled at UH-Hilo. He continued to knit.<\/p>\n<p>He accepted the scars on his face and body as reminders of the odds he had overcome. He maintained the drollness that got him voted Best Sense of Humor at his high school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have had to learn a lot of acceptance ever since I was 22,\u201d says Iwamoto, who\u2019s now 37. \u201cEver since the day I left the hospital, I knew I was going to be dealing with a lot of pain, but that\u2019s just the price I paid for survival, and I\u2019m glad because the other option was death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What he couldn\u2019t accept was that a few years after the assault, the state granted his attacker unsupervised release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was granted permission to go to Windward Community College unescorted,\u201d Iwamoto says. \u201cIt is just shocking. I can\u2019t believe they allowed that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the worst part is the state didn\u2019t tell me or my mom. We had to find out on the news. And my mom hasn\u2019t been the same person since she saw that. She has PTSD, not because of my attack but because of seeing that on the news.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Hawai\u2018i had enshrined Marsy\u2019s Law in its constitution, the state would have been obligated to contact Iwamoto before releasing his assailant.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative, which is now law in about a dozen states, is named for Marsalee \u201cMarsy\u201d Ann Nicholas, a California woman who had been stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983.<\/p>\n<p>A week after the murder, Marsy\u2019s mother walked into a grocery store and ran into her daughter\u2019s killer. He\u2019d been released on bail, but no one had told her. Although the man was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, every few years Marsy\u2019s family had to show up for his parole hearing and argue their case to keep him behind bars.<\/p>\n<p>Iwamoto didn\u2019t hold back when he addressed lawmakers in Hawai\u2018i on behalf of Marsy\u2019s Law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI bared my soul, like every graphic detail of my attack in an effort to advance this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>His words, and the words of other violent crime survivors and their families, made an impact. Marsy\u2019s Law for Hawai\u2018i passed the state House and Senate in 2016. However,<\/p>\n<p>lawmakers weren\u2019t able to reconcile the language in the two chambers\u2019 bills and they missed the deadline to get legislation to the governor\u2019s office in time to be considered for constitutional amendments.<\/p>\n<p>Iwamoto was disappointed with the outcome but says addressing lawmakers was a watershed moment for him because it brought home the power of his voice and story.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s still committed to sharing his story and pushing for change, but lately his focus has shifted to his health.<\/p>\n<p>He first noticed he was losing weight during the pandemic. He says no matter how much he ate he wasn\u2019t putting the pounds back on. It hurt to open doors and stand up. Then it became painful to sit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I started to lose the fat in my butt, that changed my life,\u201d he says. \u201cI still sit because you have to sit to be a human, but I have to use a wheelchair cushion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An endocrinologist on O\u2018ahu told him it was lipodystrophy, a rare, painful condition characterized by complete or partial loss of fat in the body.<\/p>\n<p>Iwamoto says he sought out two national lipodystrophy specialists, but they told him his condition wasn\u2019t severe enough to warrant an official diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBasically, I\u2019m not sick enough,\u201d he says. \u201cThey don\u2019t recognize the disease until you have severe metabolic issues. But I do have metabolic issues, they\u2019re just not severe enough yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, if life has taught him anything it\u2019s to not give up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI survived one of the most violent attempted murders ever committed and this thing that\u2019s causing me to lose all my fat is what takes me down?\u201d he says. \u201cI can\u2019t let that happen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m meant to be speaking and that\u2019s something I was doing,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut the health issues have obviously complicated that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What keeps him going are the other victims of violent crime and, in the case of murder victims, their surviving loved ones. He thinks about them often.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you remember Asa Yamashita?\u201d he says. \u201cShe was a beloved teacher, and she was eating lunch at a shopping center in \u2018Ewa Beach and a man went into Longs Drugs and bought a kitchen knife and stabbed her to death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This happened on Feb. 27, 2009, the day before Iwamoto\u2019s scheduled release from the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember the nurses were like, \u2018Aren\u2019t you so excited? You get to go home,\u2019\u201d Iwamoto recalls. \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018No. I don\u2019t want to go home. I want to stay here.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, that really shook me. And when I hear about murder victims, I say their names. I don\u2019t want people to forget about them because I know how close I came to being one of the departed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another name comes to his mind: Carly \u201cCharli\u201d Scott. The 27-year-old Maui woman was five months pregnant when she disappeared in 2014. Her ex-boyfriend was convicted of her murder in 2021, but all of her remains weren\u2019t found until last year.<\/p>\n<p>The list of names goes on. And as long as it does, Iwamoto wants to do his part to make sure they aren\u2019t forgotten.<\/p>\n<p>He says, \u201cBecause you\u2019re not gone until the last person on Earth stops thinking about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Keep up with Iwamoto at <a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/nicholas.iwamoto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">facebook.com\/nicholas.iwamoto<\/a>. To purchase a knitted item from him, email iwamoto86@gmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicholas Iwamoto survived a brutal attempted murder. He doesn\u2019t want the community to forget his story \u2014 or those of..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":99114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Against The Odds - MidWeek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Against The Odds - MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nicholas Iwamoto survived a brutal attempted murder. He doesn\u2019t want the community to forget his story \u2014 or those of..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"623\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"micahchock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"micahchock\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"micahchock\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2\"},\"headline\":\"Against The Odds\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1785,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/mw-cover-011024.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"MW Cover Story\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/\",\"name\":\"Against The Odds - MidWeek\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/mw-cover-011024.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/mw-cover-011024.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/12\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/mw-cover-011024.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":623},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/nicholas-iwamoto\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Against The Odds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/\",\"name\":\"MidWeek\",\"description\":\"Hawaii&#039;s Favorite Newspaper\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2\",\"name\":\"micahchock\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"micahchock\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekpro\\\/author\\\/micahchock\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Against The Odds - MidWeek","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Against The Odds - MidWeek","og_description":"Nicholas Iwamoto survived a brutal attempted murder. He doesn\u2019t want the community to forget his story \u2014 or those of..","og_url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/","og_site_name":"MidWeek","article_published_time":"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":623,"url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"micahchock","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"micahchock","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/"},"author":{"name":"micahchock","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#\/schema\/person\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2"},"headline":"Against The Odds","datePublished":"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/"},"wordCount":1785,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg","articleSection":["MW Cover Story"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/","name":"Against The Odds - MidWeek","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-10T18:18:41+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-26T01:17:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#\/schema\/person\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/01\/mw-cover-011024.jpg","width":800,"height":623},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/nicholas-iwamoto\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Against The Odds"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/","name":"MidWeek","description":"Hawaii&#039;s Favorite Newspaper","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/#\/schema\/person\/a0f394748e52660920f58a2a289f80a2","name":"micahchock","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f98d3209a5e77da40008ba8dcfc4215c426be52e9a4e904c433ba864df3fd721?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"micahchock"},"url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/author\/micahchock\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}