A brother's love expressed in song

BELLEVUE - Kelly Aramaki remembers the day his parents came home from the hospital with news that his sister, Karen, had a serious disability called Rett Syndrome.

He was 10 years old when his parents, Aubrey and Young Sun Aramaki, told him and his siblings.

"They were smart enough to know that something very bad was wrong," Aubrey Aramaki said. The children "put their heads down and cried."

Although Kelly Aramaki at first focused on the tragedy of the illness, he later saw his sister as a blessing. And in high school he wrote a song about her.

Today, "Angel in My Life" has been recorded on a compact disc and is helping raise money for Rett Syndrome sufferers like Karen, now 15, who is his inspiration.

"When I look into Karen's eyes, I see God and I realize the kind of person he wants us to be," said Aramaki, a Bellevue resident and a Newport Heights Elementary School teacher.

"I see her and her emotions are so basic. When people do nice things, she smiles; when she is sick she cries. My life is so busy I lose sight of those things, but when I see her, everything is so simple."

At 14, Aramaki was an accomplished musician, singer and actor, but wanted to be a pediatrician.

His interest came from his knowledge of Rett Syndrome, an incurable neurological disorder affecting only young girls. It occurs in one of every 15,000 female births and is progressive. Among the symptoms are mental retardation, compulsive hand movements, walking difficulties, decreased body weight and often autism. There is no effective treatment.

While studying at the University of Washington, Aramaki found an opening in the university hospital's Head Start program. After working there and at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, he found a new passion: education.

After receiving a degree in biology in 1997, he went to Columbia University and earned a master's degree in elementary education.

"After I left Columbia, unbelievable things began to happen," he said.

Aramaki, 25, met Eastsider Vicki Isett, the mother of a fifth-grader with Rett Syndrome.

"Vicki told me about the school and how the staff works with disabled children. That was enough. I applied for a teaching position at the Bellevue School District and got the post at Newport Heights," he said.

"He had offers from several other school districts but wanted a school where inclusion (including disabled students in the main classrooms) was part of the curriculum," said Principal Marion Peiffer. "I think he had a sense that he was supposed to be here."

Aramaki was hired as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher last September and met Isett's daughter Annie.

In April, Annie died in her sleep. Aramaki was asked to sing "Angel in My Life" at her memorial service.

"It's about the incredible love kids like Karen and Annie have to offer. I gladly accepted," he said.

A teacher suggested that he record the song on a CD and use it to raise money for Rett Syndrome research. With help from many people, donations of recording time and discounts for copying the CD, it's now for sale.

He has sold copies of the CD to help pay for summer school for students who couldn't afford classes.

And now he is offering the CD for contributions to the International Rett Syndrome Association,

More information about the CD is available by contacting Aramaki at kellyaramaki@hotmail.com or by calling 425-271-5489.