Viliami “Nami” Tupoumalohi Vimahi
Viliami “Nami” Tupoumalohi Vimahi
2009 April 10 ~ 2026 August 6
Nami’s life defied what the human brain can wrap its mind around. With him, there was no time. Joy and pain were limitless. And his very being was more expansive than words can adequately explain. Trying to capture his life journey in something as limiting as language, and within the time an obituary is “supposed” to be written, has felt like an impossible feat.
Nami was wanted for nearly a decade before he joined his parents’ lives, Salesi and Annaka. He was born in American Fork and spent his early childhood in Utah. Within his first few weeks of life, his parents learned that he had been born with a rare genetic condition they had never heard of: Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). The condition caused him to have intractable epilepsy, tumors on his vital organs, and severe autism.
Annaka often felt that the fight to get Nami here was the only thing that could have adequately prepared her to care for him in the way he deserved. Their bond quickly became one of “you and me against the world.” She understood early on that this was now Nami’s world, and the rest of us were just living in it. Anyone lucky enough to spend time with Nami learned that they had to adapt to him, not the other way around.
Annaka and Nami made a great team. Together they weathered hospitalizations and doctor visits; traveled for surgeries and studies; endured countless therapies; and pushed for every program to live up to what it claimed to offer. Nami fought through thousands of seizures and endless behavioral struggles. They were often told that they had defied the odds: “No one has ever gotten these people on board,” or “No one has ever received this many services.”
When Nami was 22 months old, his brother, Kope, was born. They were partners in crime, breaking through every barrier their parents concocted, sneaking food, and making huge messes. Kope, too, had to adapt to a world ruled by his brother’s health issues, learning from a young age that life with Nami would be different from what most families experienced.
Life was rarely calm and never easy.
When Nami was eight, his family moved to Hawai’i. There, they found the place that felt like home. And the one place where they found brief pockets of peace was their favorite beach, where Nami would entertain himself for hours, throwing sticks into the ocean and watching them float ashore, only to run farther down the beach and do it all over again.
Nami loved outings with his dad. Their favorite things to do together were going on drives, eating out, swinging and napping in the hammock, listening to songs (especially those from the 1980s), hiking, and singing. Nami absolutely adored his dad and the stories told.
Despite his challenges, Nami had a unique way of connecting with people and a limitless capacity to love. He had eyes that could pierce your soul while somehow allowing you into the beauty and wisdom of his mind and spirit.
He was able to control far more than he would initially allow people to know. Whether at school, in the hospital, or with one of his many caretakers, his mom would often find him surrounded by people doting on him. Nami would sit among them, grinning from ear to ear, fully understanding that he’d gotten every single person there wrapped around his little finger.
Nami’s life embodied the duality of the human experience. The amount of anguish he and his family endured is something no one in their orbit could fully understand. And at the same time, they witnessed the goodness of humanity on a level most people never have the opportunity to experience.
Nami was usually either persevering through extreme struggle or enjoying life to the fullest. His condition altered the course of his family’s lives completely, and a huge portion of his life was dedicated to managing its complexity. But Nami always found a way to enjoy life. Somehow, he could smile and laugh his way through hospitalizations, surgeries, and emergencies that would have been devastating for most of us.
He loved talking about holidays, listening to songs on his tablet, riding on the fishing boat, being around horses, and spending time with, and talking about, all the people he loved.
He was the biggest tease. He especially loved obsessing over snow and cold, knowing full well that his mom hated both. Every time he got a reaction out of her, he would laugh with absolute glee.
With thousands of people helping Nami and his family throughout his life, you might think it would have made the journey easier. And sometimes, it did… for moments.
But Nami’s life also taught us something much harder. Thousands of people showed up for Nami, but even extraordinary individual generosity could not overcome systems that were built to exclude people like him. Nami’s life shines a light on the discriminatory social structures we allow to exist. If there is one thing we hope comes from his life, it is that humans will intentionally assess how the world around them operates for society’s most vulnerable citizens, and commit to evolving it into a world that serves, rather than hurts, those who are most vulnerable.
Nami had to fight to live in a world that was often cruel to him. And yet his view of the world and his ability to love transcended the restraints the rest of us live with. Despite the world’s view of him, Nami embodied unconditional love. The world’s labeling, hate, and mistreatment of one another did not reach Nami. He proved that, despite how awful we humans can be, he was not bound by the same limitations. He gave his love freely, whether we had earned it or not.
During his short 17 years, Nami crossed paths with thousands of people. Sometimes his time in their lives was brief, but the impact was always powerful. He quickly captured the hearts of anyone fortunate enough to spend time with him, using his megawatt smile, mischievous personality, and enormous capacity for connection.
He leaves behind an extended family and an army of medical professionals, caretakers, educators, advocates, and friends who love him.
A testament to their bond, Nami and his mother successfully achieved a peaceful passing for Nami, wrapped in his mother’s arms, with his brother and father nearby.
We will miss his teasing.
We will miss his infectious smile and laugh.
We will miss his dancing and perfect rhythm.
We will miss receiving the love he gave so freely.
And we will carry with us the countless lessons Nami taught us simply by being here.
We will celebrate Nami’s life on August 22 at 10 a.m. at Highland Glen Park Pavilion
It is best to navigate to the “Highland Glen North Parking Lot”. The Pavilion is on the north side of the pond.
Please come wearing bright colors!
Nami could never be “contained” in life, so we will not attempt to contain him in death.
Nami will be laid in the waters off the shore of his favorite beach in Hawai’i, where he will be free to roam with the fish of the sea, find all the “ship-boats,” travel the world, evaporate and fall with the snow, and ride on the backs of horses into the sunset.
His family will find and feel him in all the places he loved.
In lieu of flowers, please Venmo @nami-memorial to help us give Nami this memorial.