A Dive Buddy’s Daring Rescue
Wednesday - November 28, 2007
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Del.icio.usDear Pamela,
Our son, Marcus Chun ran into trouble while diving off Rabbit Island with his friend Andy Telio. Marcus must have stayed under a little too long, because when he came up to the surface, he blacked out. This story might’ve had a tragic ending if it had not been for the many people who saved Marcus that day.
The water was rough, and Andy had to drop his speargun to grab Marcus as he started sinking again. Andy then had to drag Marcus onto Rabbit Island while the both of them were getting pounded on the rocks by the waves. Andy then had to swim to my son’s kayak to get his cell phone.
By the time we saw Marcus, he was already at the Castle Medical Center Emergency Room, so we didn’t get the opportunity to thank the HFD rescue crew and the helicopter that got Marcus off Rabbit Island. Thanks also to the staff of Castle Medical Center for providing such great care.
Most of all we would like to thank Andy Telio for doing what a good dive partner should do, actually observing his dive buddy, and in this case, risking his own equipment and safety to save our son’s life. Marcus is very fortunate to have a truly great friend like you.
Gerald & Lynette Chun Aiea
Dear Gerald and Lynette,
“Marcus suffered a shallow water black out. I read about it in a skindiving manual,” says Andy Telio, a first-year student at the UH Richardson School of Law. “I thought he would come to right away, but when he didn’t regain consciousness I felt a little panicky. I think natural instinct took over. He would have done the same for me.”
Aloha Pamela,
My daughter traveled with her paddling team to Kauai for the HCRA State Championships. Arrangements for a 15-passenger van fell through when the coaches were unable to contact the rental company upon their arrival on Kauai at 7:30 p.m. They were stranded at Lihue Airport with no means of getting to Hanalei. Attempts to rent any kind of vehicle were futile, as all the rental car agencies were sold out. I was referred to Cars Hawaii, and I was fortunate to reach Wailana. At first, Wailana told me that they, too, were sold out, but after hearing the plight of the paddlers, she rallied her workers. Although it was after hours and she had been on the verge of going home, Wailana managed to secure a 15-passenger van for the paddlers.
Please send a huge APPLAUSE and mahalo to Wailana and the rest of the employees at Cars Hawaii. They went above and beyond to help strangers in a time of need. The paddlers’trip would have been ruined had they not been able to rent a van. Wailana’s caring and generous aloha spirit touched our hearts.
Susan Young
Dear Susan,
“That’s a beautiful letter. It made my day,” says Wailana Dasalia, manager of Cars Hawaii on Kauai. “We’re a small company, just a fleet of 12, but we did have a van available. We try to help people any way we can.”
(If you know someone who deserves some Applause, send your letters to Pamela Young, MidWeek Applause, KITV, 801 S. King St., Honolulu, HI, 96813 or e-mail pyoung@kitv.com. Include your name, phone number and, if possible, the phone number of your “applaudee” so we can contact him or her.)
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