By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Andreas D'Zuro is so busy, he's taking phone calls while he's at the eye doctor getting his pupils dilated.

D'Zuro is organizing a fund-raiser for three Kaua'i families struggling with medical bills and the heartbreak of an injury or illness.

"This is for Kaua'i kids," D'Zuro says as he's being led into a waiting room. He has to multitask. There's a lot to do.

Aukai Peter Huff was enjoying an after-work swim on an October afternoon when he jumped off the Kapa'a landing, something he had done countless times before. This time, he landed wrong and broke his neck. Aukai, 21, was in a coma for four days. He has spent the past three months paralyzed from the neck down at Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu.

Two days before Aukai's accident, 14-year-old Michael Nizo broke his neck jumping from the Hanalei pier. He was also paralyzed.

And 16-year-old Crystal Wolshin had surgery at the Mayo Clinic last month to remove a life-threatening brain tumor.

D'Zuro, senior marketing consultant at Island Radio 98.9 and HITS 99.9, has been rounding up prizes and donations for a dinner tonight to help all three families. The event will be held at Chef Jean Marie Josselin's A Pacific Cafe in Kapa'a.

"We just got a donation of a Ni'ihau shell lei," D'Zuro says excitedly. He has amassed a long list of prizes, including a trip to Vegas, by working the cell phone and driving around the island.

The fund-raiser gained momentum fast. In a small community like Kaua'i, everybody had heard about Aukai, Michael and Crystal but folks didn't know how they could help. There was a sense of relief that somebody was organizing something. Kaua'i's generosity had an outlet.

There's been a bit of good news: Aukai Peter Huff is headed back home. This week, he is being transferred from Straub to Wilcox hospital, where he can be close to family as he heals. The infection that caused lesions in his lungs has finally subsided and he is breathing on his own now, which is a huge step. He is gaining feeling in his arms and is starting to be able to move a bit.

Michael Nizo has been in a Shriners hospital in Sacramento for the past month. He's still paralyzed from the waist down but is working on rehabilitating his upper body.

Crystal Wolshin's surgery didn't get all of the tumor, so she's now trying an alternative treatment. Her family is awaiting the results.

Tickets for tonight's dinner are $75 and can be purchased at A Pacific Cafe at 822-0013.

For those who can't make it to the fund-raiser, donations are being accepted at the following banks:

Fund for Crystal Wolshin — Bank of Hawaii.

Friends of Christopher Aukai Peter Huff — Territorial Savings.

Friends of Michael Nizo —American Savings.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8172.