For 13-year-old Hanapēpē resident Gia-Lynn Pacheco, some of life’s greatest joys once came from the simplest routines: Sunday mornings at church with her family and singing with the choir, afternoons at the beach, and time spent with her cousins watching Lilo and Stitch.
Those everyday moments took on a whole new meaning after a devastating swimming accident last October left Gia with a spinal cord injury that changed her and the lives of her entire family.
Gia is paralyzed from the waist down, with limited mobility in her shoulders.
Today, she is fighting her way forward, one milestone at a time.
“Itʻs been boring,” Gia told Kauaʻi Now in typical teen fashion, but with a big smile and a giggle.
“Yeah, because every weekday, I see my brothers go to school and they wish that I could go with them,” she said Wednesday. “And, I also see like my cousins on the phone shelling at the beach.”
She is supported by her family and a growing circle of friends, nurses, local businesses, churches and community members, all determined to help her regain access to the life she loves.
Family friend Laurie Hale and Gia’s Kahu, Kerry Joffrionn, are supporting her recovery by volunteering for ʻWheels for Gia,ʻ a community fundraiser on Nov. 21 that has a goal of raising $32,000 toward an ADA-accessible wheelchair van. Her family needs the van to help Gia get to medical appointments, attend church, and not be left behind when the family gathers for events.
“Sheʻs just such a light,” said Laurie Hale, owner of Aunty Lilikoʻi in Waimea. “There aren’t many 13-year-olds who are gonna fight that hard and have such a good attitude about it.”
On Wednesday, Gia recalled that fateful day last year when she was with her family swimming in the Hanapēpē River. She dove into the water and hit her head on a rock, becoming unconscious.
She remembers the ambulance ride to Wilcox Medical Center, medical personnel cutting away her clothes, and then “everything going dark.”
Her family soon learned the seriousness of her spinal cord injury.
Her parents explained to Kauaʻi Now that the road she has been on over the past several months has been extraordinarily difficult.
Gia spent months recovering from a broken neck, a spinal cord injury, a collapsed lung, and fractures of the C5 and C6 vertebrae. She was also on a breathing machine and spent months receiving intensive medical care, including time in the pediatric intensive care unit at the East Hollywood Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
“She may not remember all the things, all the procedures we watched her go through in the hospital, but sheʻs the strongest person I know,” Gia’s mother, Terry Pacheco, told Kauaʻi Now.
“This would be awful for a typical adult to endure — the tubes, the blood draws every two weeks, and, for a while, it was a few times an hour for several days.”
The family has faced complex medical decisions, immense emotional strain and staggering expenses. Yet through it all, Gia keeps working toward recovery.
On Wednesday, Gia had therapy. She also is receiving educational support, and continues working towards greater independence.
“We are so proud of her and all the progress she continues to make,” said her father, Brandon Pacheco. “Every day we get to wake up with her is a blessing.
“Sheʻs our miracle baby, and we believe she will keep fighting and pushing forward until sheʻs walking into church camp again,” he said.
But for Gia’s family, one of the greatest challenges of recovery is transportation.
Although she has a wheelchair, navigating the gravel and uneven terrain around their property is difficult. Even getting outside can become a complicated process, as standard wheelchairs are not designed for rough and rugged surfaces.
Her father said he is “tired of seeing Gia confined to the bedroom” and wants her to experience all the things a typical 13-year-old gets to experience.
She especially misses her church, St. John’s Episcopal, and the connection she shared with its choir. Her family says being unable to attend in person has been one of her greatest sources of sadness and boredom.
“The church misses her, and so does the choir,” Kahu Kerry said. “Gia loves to sing, and not having proper mobility is really affecting her because sheʻs not able to go to church.
Kahu Kerry also noted that since the choir began singing to her at home, she has shown significant progress, with greater mobility in her arms and hands.
“Gia has told me that itʻs really affecting her faith to not be able to go to church, and thatʻs been one of her greatest griefs, and we really do feel that going back to church is what’s going to help her get back on her feet.”
Before the accident, Sunday beach outings with family and friends were a tradition.
“After church, we would gather with our tents and chairs,” her father said. “She misses the beach.”
The family also can’t schedule paratransit transportation because there has been no bus service on Sundays for the past three years.
Asked whether she wanted to return to the beach, Gia answered, “Yes.”
Her story has brought together an extraordinary group of people, each contributing their time, resources and talent.
Tiffany Wright of Kauaʻi Menehune Kitchen in Hanapēpē is organizing the ʻWheels for Giaʻ fundraiser and coordinating the community for the large gathering to support Gia and her family.
The centerpiece will be one of Gia’s favorite plate lunches: laulau, a traditional Hawaiian dish made of pork shoulder or belly and salted butterfish wrapped tightly inside tender taro leaves and an outer layer of tī leaves.
Gia’s father is preparing 60 lau lau, with help from members of his Army National Guard unit who will assist with assembly and cooking. Japanese Grandma’s Cafe is preparing poke bowls. Kauaʻi Menehune Kitchen is helping cook and prepare malasadas, Portuguese fried dough balls.
Caba Hanapēpē food truck personnel are helping to coordinate the event and will work the serving line, assembling plates and keeping everything moving smoothly. Kauaʻi Roastery is providing coffee and tea.
St. Paul’s and St. John’s Episcopal Churches are hosting and helping coordinate donations so funds can reach Gia and her family. Aunty Lilikoi is contributing technology support, media outreach, flyer and ticket design, and website assistance, along with many other community members contributing behind the scene.
Gia’s story has even moved visitors passing through the quaint town of Hanapēpē, proving that no one gets left behind.
Hale shared that during a recent visit, Becky, a visitor from Maine, learned about the ʻWheels for Giaʻ fundraiser. She and the organizers exchanged stories about small island communities like her New England hometown and how people come together when someone needs help.
The following morning, Becky returned and made a $500 donation toward helping Gia regain greater mobility and access to her community.
Gia personally thanks her community for “not giving up on me. Thank you for supporting me. I appreciate you guys very much, and I hope you enjoy the lau lau,” she said.
Giaʻs ultimate goal is to once again attend church camp with her choir.
Garden Island residents are invited to the ʻWheels for Giaʻ community fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Historic Hanapēpē Main Street. Meet Gia, have some fun, and make new friends.
Hale added: “We encourage everyone to pre-order, join us, enjoy some good food, meet Gia, and youʻll see that her energy is contagious, and a win for Gia is a win for all of us.”
Pre-sale tickets are available here. If you’re unable to attend, you can still support the accessible van with a direct donation by clicking here.
