In the face of tragedy, Kauaians come together by Ford Gunter – THE GARDEN ISLAND While 2006 was no doubt a trying year for Kaua‘i, there were a few stories where it seemed the entire island came together, rallying as
In the face of tragedy, Kauaians come together
by Ford Gunter – THE GARDEN ISLAND
While 2006 was no doubt a trying year for Kaua‘i, there were a few stories where it seemed the entire island came together, rallying as one behind a common cause.
The most obvious example is the outpouring of sympathy and charity in the wake of the Ka Loko breach, which severed the island in two and left the North Shore virtually alone, with a one-day supply of food at the Princeville Foodland and community radio as their link the outside world.
Kauaians, Hawaiians and Americans alike turned a stunned, sad eye to our little corner of the Pacific, and even the public outrage at dam owner James Pflueger — long a favorite of target of ire well before the dam broke — subsided, if only briefly.
As the rains continued through March and into early April, so too did the donations of food and clothing, toiletries and supplies.
Kauaians also joined together in support of two of our own, Robert Nuesca and Suzi Williams, both severely injured in separate but equally ghastly accidents.
Nuesca, 37, a popular youth sports coach and well-known island figure, was in a head-on collision on Halloween in 2005 — an accident that killed both his parents and left him paralyzed and severely brain damaged.
It also left his wife, Mercy, the sole earner for the couple and their four children.
This July 1, just days after the driver of the car that hit them was arrested on manslaughter charges, the Nuesca family held an all-day fund-raiser at the Aloha Church to help adapt their Anahola home to accommodate Robert’s wheelchair and medical needs.
On the same day of the Nuesca family benefit, another island icon, Suzi “Date Bar” Williams, fell while hiking the Na Pali coast and suffered severe head trauma. She spent months recovering on O‘ahu and returned to much fanfare, making her first public appearance at her own fund-raiser in October.
Countless community members and local businesses came out in support of the 45-year-old triathlete and local businesswoman.
“Everyone knows Suzi,” said friend and unofficial spokeswoman Susan LeHoven earlier this year. “After the accident it became apparent that everyone wants to help.”
While Williams has not spoken publicly about her injury, condition or rehabilitation, she has been back on-island, at home and recuperating alongside her husband Peter and dog Rudy, sure to take comfort in the fact that, after all she’s given Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i was happy to give a little back.
Islanders also came together on behalf of another family interrupted when a Laysan albatross nesting in Princeville was struck by a car in April, breaking his leg and wing. The North Shore residents that had, over the years, grown quite accustomed (and attached) to the large seabirds that mate for life and nest in the same area year after year immediately came together on behalf of the downed bird and its infant chick.
(The mother, who was not present at the time of the accident, returned to the nest a few times but took to the sea for the season after finding it empty.)
The 18-year-old father, dubbed “Longshot,” received the best medical care the island had to offer, undergoing numerous “pro bono” surgeries by veterinarian Scott Sims and receiving scores of free medicine and food from various private and public donors.
The chick, “Prince,” was transferred to Crater Hill on the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and hand-raised by Japanese researchers studying Laysans transplanted from Midway.
Though the ending was not a happy one for Longshot — he died in August — Prince fledged on time and should be at sea for a few years before returning with a mate to nest on his own, maybe to Princeville, and maybe to some faces who have missed him.
To donate to the Robert Nuesca Benefit Fund:
• Write to Robert Nuesca Benefit Fund c/o Colette Nagao, P.O. Box 324, Lihu‘e, HI 96766;
• www.paypal.com, account name nuescabenefit@gmail.com;
• Write a check at any Central Pacific bank in Hawai‘i, payable to the Robert Nuesca Benefit Fund.
To donate to the Suzi Williams:
• Visit www.friendsofsuzi.org;
• Write to The Suzi Fund, P.O. Box 1156, Kilauea, HI 96754.
• Ford Gunter, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or fgunter@kauaipubco.com.
