When Henry Nalaielua was diagnosed with Hansen's disease in 1936 and taken from his home and family, he began a journey of exile that led him to Kalaupapa-the remote settlement with the tragic history on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. During its century as a virtual prison, more than 8,000 people were exiled to Kalaupapa, until the introduction of sulfone drugs in the 1940s. Today fewer than 30 patients remain.This is Henry's story-an unforgettable memoir of the boy who grew to build a full and joyous life at Kalaupapa, and still calls it home today. No Footprints in the Sand is one of only a few memoirs ever shared with the public by a Kalaupapa patient. Its intimacy and candor make it, in the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin,
"a rare and precious human document." Nalaielua's story is an inspiring one; despite exile, physical challenges and the severing of family ties, he has faced life-as an artist, musician and historian-with courage, honesty, hope and humor.
