Manny Carvalho: A life of light and love

Manny Carvalho entered the world 11 weeks prematurely, weighing slightly more than two pounds at birth. His first months of life were spent in the hospital’s neonatal unit, and due to prematurity and developmental delays, he didn’t begin walking until he was 18 months old.

But once he started walking, Manny just ran.

He was full of energy. His parents, Michele and David Carvalho, made sure his weekends were full of outdoor activities, preventing his “running around in circles inside the house – literally.” He once ran the two-hour Kilauea Iki hike in less than an hour and a half.

The Carvalhos were told his speech would be delayed, and they didn’t learn until Manny was in kindergarten that his vision was severely impaired. Yet with his family’s care and his own determination, Manny was on the same footing as everyone else through physical therapy, treatment by eye specialists, and help from teachers.

He excelled in everything, say his parents.

Everyone’s best friend

After Manny died at age 11, several of his classmates told Michele and David they had lost their best friend. Michele says, “We never knew he had so many best friends.”

He was kind, and he loved to be helpful. At tennis practice, he was always the last person off the court, helping to carry equipment to his coaches’ cars. When another boy at school was being bullied, Manny started to meet him in the mornings, providing safety in numbers as they walked to class together.

When Manny met you, he gave you a hug, and he hugged you whenever he saw you after that.  Even at 11 years old, he gave his parents goodnight hugs every night. He never went to bed angry, and he was a source of light and love for everyone who knew him.

He chased every ball

Shortly after kindergarten, Manny hit his first tennis balls with his father and his sister Shayley.  “We were just looking for a sport that would be good for both our younger kids,” says David. Soon after, he began lessons with coach Randy Kunimoto, a member of the UH Hilo Vulcans Hall of Fame.

When he played, Manny chased every ball, diving for them, listening to his coaches with energy and motivation. He loved to play with the older students, and usually held his own against them.

Many coaches in Coach Randy’s tennis school were players on the UH Hilo tennis teams, giving Manny a connection to the Vulcans.  Manny attended their matches, and his goal – after someday playing for his high school team – was to represent UH Hilo. 

Yet as much as he loved to compete, he loved most the sportsmanship and camaraderie of being on a team. 

An uplifting community

When Manny died, the tennis community was very supportive of the Carvalhos, reaching out and raising funds for a scholarship bearing Manny’s name. Through many dark days, Michele and David say their tennis ‘ohana was right there with them.

Now, through the generous, loving efforts of this community and others whose lives were touched by Manny, the Manuel “Manny” Carvalho Excellence in Tennis Scholarship will provide financial assistance to student-athletes on the men’s and women’s tennis teams at UH Hilo. Funds will support costs associated with attendance, such as tuition, books, fees and technology.

Michele and David hope this fund will bring more people to play tennis, to love tennis. They hope it will bring others in the community to support these teams.

“We want it to bring people here, to our college, to get their education here, and then to go into the world  and serve others,” says David, “because this would have been my son. Manny would serve the community and the world. We hope recipients of Manny’s scholarship will know this boy defined love and light. That’s our boy. He had his kolohe moments, but he was kind.”

Manny’s legacy

UH Hilo athletics director Patrick Guillen says, “There is no doubt Manny would have been a great Vulcans teammate and player. His work ethic, drive, determination, passion and commitment would have fit right in with the culture of our program and our community. However, Manny's memory endures, and in his short time, he leaves a legacy through this scholarship that will greatly impact the lives of our tennis student-athletes and ultimately our team. In our hearts and in our minds, Manny will always be a Vulcan."

Manny would want recipients of his scholarship to reach out to others who are having a bad day, and to be helpful always. “It doesn’t hurt to stay behind and pick up the balls,” Michele says, “or to give someone a hug. I read once that people die a physical death, and then they die when people no longer say their name. Our goal with this scholarship is for people to continue to say his name.”

“We don’t want him to die,” says David.

Michele says, “Even after we’re gone, they are going to speak Manny Cavalho’s name.”