Paul takes a trip of a lifetime

After nearly 10 years of planning, Paul finally walked into the warm, tropical air on the big island of Hawaii. Since 2009, Paul had wanted to make the trip, but circumstances had postponed it until he moved to his current home.

“I wanted to go there for a long time,” Paul said. “Now I want to go back!”

Desmond Handley, Process Improvement Specialist, said at the time Paul had an extensive behavior support plan and had to have staff with him at all times.

“He had made so many great strides, and I really worked with him and the staff really worked with him,” Desmond said. “He really could do a lot more for himself than people were giving him credit for.”

After working hard with his team, Paul and Desmond began planning the trip. They set off for Hawaii in late December of 2018.

As a big fan of the show Hawaii 5-0, one of Paul’s favorite parts of the trip was seeing the Iolani Palace, which serves as police headquarters in the show. He and Desmond visited Pearl Harbor as well. A boat took them around the USS Arizona, which is submerged in the water and still leaking oil from when it was first hit during the war. They also boarded the Battleship Missouri Memorial and see the surrender deck where World War II formally ended.

Paul also wanted to see the volcanoes, but due to a recent eruption, the state park was closed. So he booked a helicopter tour to fly over the volcano field.