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November 20, 2019

To my friends and colleagues:

As many of you know, last year some life-changing events happened in a


very short period of time. They were all wonderful life lessons that—only
after having endured them—have I realized just how blessed, humbled, and
grateful I am.

Last year, my incredible wife, Stephanie, gave birth to our first child—our
son, Eli. His arrival, however, didn’t go as we had planned. He was born a
“micro-premie”, three and a half months premature, weighing a mere 1-
pound, 0.9 oz. When you see your child literally fit into the palm of your
hand, something deep in you shifts. Eli was a miracle, and would go on to
spend half a year in the Kapiolani NICU before finally coming home. And it
wasn’t just him. Due to complications related to his birth, my wife would also
spend weeks at Kapiolani as a patient herself. I’m happy to report that thanks
to a very talented team of medical professionals that continue to work with
Eli each week, he is doing amazingly well, has turned one year old, and is
keeping his Mom and Dad very busy. He’s thriving. And so is Mom.

Our son’s birth changed everything. It opened up a completely new life for
me—a life I’ve fallen in love with. When you think about death—and are
faced with the very real possibility of losing the ones you love—it changes
how you think about your own life. Taking that fact to heart has brought a
sense of clarity and energy to the present. And as an older first-time Dad, I
know I’ve got this one opportunity to be present at a time when I’m needed
most.

HNN has been amazing in giving me the most flexibility possible while
trying to balance family life and a growing law practice, and I want to thank
them a million times over for this. However, I have realized that even that is
not enough, so I have decided, for now, to streamline my life and limit myself
solely to my estate planning law practice. It provides me the ability to work
from my home office, or from the office downtown, or from the Big Island –
and, most importantly, dedicate more time to my family and raising my son.

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I want to close by saying that it has been an honor for me to work with you
all—the most dedicated and competent producers, editors, on-air talent, my
amazing co-anchor Stephanie Lum, support staff, web team, photogs,
production crew, directors, engineers and managers in Hawaii. I am so
grateful to have played a very small role in the success we have all
collectively enjoyed.

At the risk of missing someone, I’ll avoid naming each and every person, but
I would like to give a specific thanks to our leader, Rick Blangiardi. Thank
you, Rick, for hiring me, for trusting me to represent the station during this
important time in our community, and you for being both a mentor and a
friend.

And to all of you in the newsroom, from Scott on down, thank you from the
bottom of my heart. You are not only the spirit and brains—but also most
importantly—the heart and soul of journalism in this state. I’ve learned so
much just by watching all of you work. What I will miss the most about my
time here, though, isn’t so much the news part of it, but the many friendships
and the “good fun” moments we’ve shared.

Lastly, the most important part. To the viewers who have watched Hawaii
News Now each and every night—thank you for your enduring trust and
support. I have enjoyed being a part of your life all these years and it has
been my honor to serve you.

Who knows what the future will bring. But one thing is for certain: this is the
best place in Hawaii to make television news, so I don’t want to say farewell
completely. Perhaps down the road there will be a meaningful way for me to
still contribute, maybe create something together. But until then, no matter
where I’ll be, I’ll be tuning in.

Shawn

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