It was a day of great rejoicing when Kimo Jardin learned he had secured a job with the County of Kaua‘i. Sean “Seanieboy” Tayco, a local disc jockey and concert promoter, remembers when both were dishwashers at Plantation Gardens Restaurant
It was a day of great rejoicing when Kimo Jardin learned he had secured a job with the County of Kaua‘i.
Sean “Seanieboy” Tayco, a local disc jockey and concert promoter, remembers when both were dishwashers at Plantation Gardens Restaurant & Bar in Po‘ipu, and Jardin got the good news.
“I can remember him being really excited about getting the county job,” said Tayco.
Then, disaster struck. Jardin, 26, a Kaua‘i High School graduate, contracted leptospirosis. Something went wrong, Jardin went into a coma, and complications from the disease led him to have to have both of his legs amputated. Organ failure also occurred, and along with the need for serious, professional treatment on O‘ahu, medical bills in the vicinity of $2 million began mounting.
Even before learning who Jardin was, or that the young man was his former coworker, Tayco began putting together a fund-raiser for Jardin. The event is this Sunday, May 29, from 5 p.m. at Whalers Brewpub on the grounds of Kauai Lagoons.
The concert fund-raiser, featuring Revival, Kalapaki, Simple Sessions, Top Notch, Higher Ground, Revolution and others, is an all-ages gig. An after party, from 10 p.m., is for those 21 and over. Members of several of the local bands approached Tayco, offering their services free of charge to help Jardin and his family, Tayco said.
“I’m looking for a miracle,” said Tayco, who is challenging people to give up the cost of a pack of cigarettes or a 12-pack of beer for someone in need.
“Put a little in to help out,” he said.
The goal is “to raise enough money, give faith, support, and help Kimo and his family through this devastating time,” said Tayco.
Jardin’s co-workers with the County of Kaua‘i have already held a huli-huli chicken fund-raiser for the young man, Tayco noted.
Whalers Brewpub; Deja Vu Surfwear and Deli & Bread Connection in Kukui Grove Center; Bounty Music in Kapa‘a; Human Rites tattoos in Harbor Mall, Nawiliwili; Island Gym on Kaumuali‘i Highway in Hanapepe (at the traffic light); and from Tayco, 346-0171.
- Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
