Originally from the Kingdom of Tonga, an island in the South Pacific, Willie Maile has lived in the United States for 30 years. A fun-loving character, he jokes that he came from Hawaii to the mainland "on a Greyhound bus." He now lives in Mesa, Ariz., with his wife and three children.

Willie has been a musician most of his life, and his current band plays luaus, birthday parties and weddings in the Mesa area. Since many business meetings are held in the region, his band plays frequently. "The businesses have their meetings, and when they break for dinner they want to listen to music and see a show," he explains.

Willie can sing many Hawaiian songs, though he admits that he gets a little tired of playing the classic Don Ho tune "Tiny Bubbles." He enjoys all kinds of music - "country, love songs, get-down music, shake-your-booty music" - and says that his favorite songs are "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Proud Mary."

When Willie first started dialysis, he told his social worker Jennifer Casey, "I will be very sad if I can never play the guitar or sing again." His friends at the RCG Southwest Mesa Clinic gave him a special award when he was healthy enough to reach his goal of picking up the guitar again.

Now Willie often wears his aloha shirts and sunglasses when he comes in for dialysis, and he treats fellow patients to special performances." I surprise them," he said. "I get my guitar, amp and microphone and just play." Willie has even taught the social workers to hula dance.

Willie enjoys playing golf, too, though making music is the best way to keep his mind off his illness. "I go play nine [holes] once in awhile, but music really keeps me going. I’m a music man. When I play music, I don’t think about being sick."

Willie urges fellow patients to find a hobby that they enjoy so that they can improve the quality of their lives. "A lot of people don’t take care of themselves," he said. "They just stay home and wait to die. They don’t get up and go on a little walk every day, do a little exercise.

"Being sick, that’s not the end of the world," Willie continued. "You move on. I make it better with exercise, golf, visiting family and friends ... and music."