Dania Hansen struggled through years of treatment for multiple types of cancer and eventually had to use a motorized scooter to get around and to walk her little white dog, Lily.

Hansen, 60, of Los Altos, Calif., had long ago become accustomed to doctors and hospitals before she ended up in Wilcox Memorial Hospital on Sunday when the tour helicopter she was in crashed on Kaua'i's North Shore, killing another passenger.

Hansen was taken to Wilcox in critical condition after the 1 p.m. crash, underwent an operation Monday and was listed in serious condition yesterday, hospital officials said.

"She's had some real physical issues and medical mistreatment that ended up with the loss of the use of her legs," said Hansen's neighbor, Mary Mills. "But she's a really upbeat, amazing person."

On the opposite side of the Mainland, the friends of two other survivors of the crash of the Inter-Island Helicopters Hughes 500 craft continued to worry about Doug and Judy Barton.

The Bartons live in the small New Hampshire town of Newport, where Doug works as a machinist and Judy works in the Sugar River Savings Bank.

"The whole town's in a big upset," said Ken Ricketts, general manager of Latva Machine Inc., where Doug is a machinist.

Doug Barton, 60, was listed in fair condition yesterday at The Queen's Medical Center. Judy Barton, 51, was listed in serious condition, Queen's officials said.

THIS TRIP 'WAS SPECIAL'

Latva Machine officials were notified of the accident Monday morning and Latva's 120 employees continue to pull for their friend and co-worker, Ricketts said.

"They told us he was in an accident and they couldn't explain any details, other than he was alive and in intensive care," Ricketts said. "It hit us hard. We're a big happy family."

Ricketts called Doug, "an excellent worker, top notch, first class" and described Judy as "just a real sweet lady."

The Bartons are huge NASCAR fans, Ricketts said, and took trips to follow the racing circuit.

But every day for the past several months, Ricketts said, Doug talked about his 10-day trip to faraway Hawai'i for what Ricketts believed was a wedding anniversary.

"He was all excited," Ricketts said. "They'd been planning it forever. They took lots of trips but this one was special."

He believed that Judy's sister had flown to Honolulu to be with her.

The fourth passenger on the flight, Michael Gershon, 60, of Walnut Creek, Calif., died in the crash. Pilot Donald Torres, 30, was treated at Wilcox on Sunday and released.

NEIGHBORS WORRIED

In the tony town of Los Altos, along the San Francisco Peninsula, Hansen's neighbors yesterday worried about their friend — and also about Hansen's mother, who lives in a Los Altos nursing home about a mile away.

Since Hansen's mother moved out several years ago, Hansen has lived alone in the well-kept home with her dog.

Despite difficulty in getting around, Hansen still managed to take care of her front- and backyard gardens, which neighbor Cheryl Weiden described as "gorgeous, very neat and well done."

The Weidens live one door down from Hansen and several years ago threw a joint garage sale in front of Hansen's house.

Laura Weiden is 18 now but remembers being 7 or 8 years old at the time and buying several ceramic pins from Hansen that she admired.

"Actually," Cheryl Weiden interrupted, "she gave them to you. That's the kind of person Dania (pronounced Dan-ya) is."

In the years that followed, Hansen came down with one cancer diagnosis after another and saw a string of doctors, Weiden and Mills said.

"She's had multiple cancer treatments that resulted in damaged nerves throughout her body," Weiden said. "She's had multiple problems with her hands and her legs, a lot of radiation and chemotherapy. She's had a tough life."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.