LIHU‘E — Darrell and Conny Pedde, visitors to Kaua‘i from Canada, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary Thursday. But this was no ordinary anniversary celebration. Instead, the couple celebrated their anniversary and the saving of a life along the way. When
LIHU‘E — Darrell and Conny Pedde, visitors to Kaua‘i from Canada, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary Thursday.
But this was no ordinary anniversary celebration. Instead, the couple celebrated their anniversary and the saving of a life along the way.
When the Peddes celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on the Garden Isle in November, they met Hualani Duncan, an employee with the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club, and her daughter Naomi, who was five months pregnant at the time.
The friendship kept the Canadian couple in contact with Duncan through e-mails after they left.
A few months later, Ka‘eo‘auali‘iOLAka‘uhaneakeAkuaenaalohahi‘imaikalani Jace Punzal was born on Feb. 23, 2009.
“Baby’s heart was pounding fast and hard, sort of protruding through his skin,” Duncan said of Punzal a few days following his birth.
Upon consultation with the physician, Naomi was reassured that it was a normal condition because newborn hearts normally beat fast, Duncan said in an e-mail.
At his first doctor’s appointment, it appeared that all was well — baby was normal, feeding well, growing good, and as Duncan described, “healthy as a hunk.”
But something told her to ask the doctor to check on his heart.
That sent the baby immediately to the hospital’s emergency room where the emergency room physician advised the family that the baby would be medi-vaced to the Kapiolani Children’s Hospital because something was wrong.
The emergency room staff could not go into detail because the ultrasound pictures were not displaying the baby’s heart with enough clarity to pinpoint the problem.
Upon arrival at Kapiolani Children’s Hospital, an army of nurses and doctors worked over the 10-day-old baby.
The physician on duty called the family over to advise them that Punzal would be medi-vaced to Rady Medical Hospital in San Diego for surgery because the baby’s heart problem was an emergency.
“Baby’s left valve that connects the heart to the lungs was detached,” Duncan said. “This rare condition happens 1 in 1,000 and is not hereditary. It just happens.”
Duncan said the doctor was amazed with the baby’s condition because he said a child with this condition should not have lived a day after birth.
“How he has survived 10 days was already a miracle,” Duncan said.
“We cried and cried and cried until there were no more tears left to fall, just puffy, swelly eyes. We gathered our thoughts, sought spiritual strength, prayed, and asked God to allow us the privilege to steward this blessing He bestowed on us, the miracle that has already taken place in baby’s life will be a testimony and healing for all.”
As a jet from Oregon moved Baby Punzal to San Diego, Darrell Pedde e-mailed to ask about Naomi and the baby.
After hearing the saga of the 10-day-old infant, Darrell and Conny got on the phone to call family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.
“They raised more than $800 to help offset the medical costs for Baby Punzal and Naomi,” Duncan said. “Wow! What kine of huge aloha is that?”
Duncan said the couple is back on Kaua‘i to celebrate their 26th anniversary, and felt that people here should know that aloha also lives in Canada.
“We don’t have much to give back in return for all they have done for us,” Duncan said. “ We can only offer a gigantic mahalo from our family, and we are grateful that Baby Punzal is now five months old. He is a chunky baboose!”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
