Richard Ostreicher  was born in Plainview, New York, and began his professional career at the Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre.  He went on to be the first Managing Director of the Portland Stage Company, Maine’s first resident professional theatre.

The early 80s HIV/AIDS crisis inspired him to partner with NYC-based pioneers in HIV/AIDS patient care and research that was published in notable medical journals and tests.  This life-changing experience led him to enroll in medical school at the age of 29.  He returned to Yale in ’88 as a resident in Internal Medicine and then to NYU as a resident in Dermatology.

He has over 35 years of medical experience in the San Francisco Bay area and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

He is currently a volunteer physician with Hawaii’s Big Island Medical Reserve Corps and resides near Hilo, Hawaii with his husband, Bob Sleasman.

Bob Sleasman is originally from upstate New York.  His professional brand marketing career led him over the years to reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Sarasota.  He currently is gleefully retired and living on Hawaii’s Big Island with his husband Rich.

After earning his MBA at Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School he climbed the corporate brand management ladder at such companies as Procter & Gamble, Clorox, and Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate.  Having developed an expertise in strategic brand design he jumped to the branding agency business and consulted with a multitude of well-known consumer brands for the balance of his career.

Hilo is the largest city on the Big Island of Hawaii, with a population of 45,248 as of 2020. It is located on the eastern side of the island, on the shores of Hilo Bay. Hilo is a popular tourist destination, known for its beautiful scenery, lush rainforests, and active volcanoes.

Some of the popular points of interest in Hilo include:

• Rainbow Falls: A beautiful waterfall that cascades over a basalt cliff.
• Akaka Falls State Park: A park that features Akaka Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in Hawaii.
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: A national park that protects the active volcanoes of Kilauea and Mauna Loa.
• Liliuokalani Gardens: A botanical garden that features a variety of plants from around the world.
• Lyman Museum and Mission House: A museum that tells the story of the early missionaries to Hawaii.
• Pacific Tsunami Museum: A museum that tells the story of the devastating tsunami that struck Hilo in 1946.

The cost of living in Hilo is relatively high, compared to other parts of the United States. The median home price in Hilo is $500,000, and the median rent is $1,500 per month. However, the cost of living in Hilo is still lower than on the other islands of Hawaii.

The LGBTQ+ community in Hilo is small but active. There are a number of LGBTQ+-friendly businesses and organizations in Hilo, and the city is generally welcoming to LGBTQ+ people.

Here are some additional facts about Hilo:

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