Advertisement

Virgen: Kailualani makes for great ambassador

Share

Mostly everyday there is joy in Kailualani Tagaloa’s life.

Can you imagine someone being so happy to see you they act as if they have won a multi-millon-dollar lottery? That’s Tagaloa.

To say her smile is infectious would be an understatement.

These days, if you can believe it, there is more joy and happiness for Tagaloa, also affectionately known as, “Baby K.” She’s also known as the ambassador for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County annual fundraising walk at Disneyland.

These days, Baby K is the center of attention. The 18-year-old from Costa Mesa is basking in it.

Advertisement

Friends and family saw her at the Chipotle in Costa Mesa on Monday, when 50% of each purchase went to Team Kailualani. They were all wanting to raise money for Sunday’s big morning at Disneyland, where many will walk.

Kailualani has a message for everyone about the event.

“I’m excited! Are you?” she says. “Come on, get excited for the walk!”

Baby K’s father, Junior, says everyone will have a reason to walk.

Team Kailualani is walking for the girl who makes everyone smile and usually produces something meaningful with each grin.

A lot of people know about Baby K now that she’s the CHOC Walk Ambassador. Yet she had been pretty popular in Costa Mesa.

Her father is in the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame because he was a big-time wide receiver in his day at Orange Coast College. But he’s mostly known now for being Kailualani’s dad. And, that’s OK with him.

He’s the receivers and special teams coach at Golden West. The love he has for his daughter is also seen in the passion he has for wanting his players to succeed, not just on the football field but in life.

Junior braced for a rough schedule he had been thinking about for quite some time. He couldn’t help but think about that on the night before the CHOC Walk, Golden West plays at Ventura. Preparation for the walk starts as early as 4 a.m. on Sunday.

But that’s OK too. It’s going to be a great day. Junior and his wife, Wendy Puanani, see their daughter’s excitement about being the ambassador.

They printed a special Team Kailualani T-shirt that has “Ambassador” on the back for her.

“On some days when we don’t have a fundraiser event, she’ll ask, ‘Why can’t I put my shirt on?’ That’s how we know she’s excited,” Junior says. “When she knows there’s an event for her, she sleeps with the ambassador shirt on the night before.”

Wendy has been working tirelessly to help raise money for CHOC in the name of Team Kailualani. It’s been that way for the past seven years they’ve been involved with the charity walk. This year, the efforts have intensified.

They think of Baby K, their only child, and a lot of her friends who are in CHOC being treated for various illnesses. They think of those families.

Wendy is no stranger to working late nights or even early mornings. Sometimes she’ll even outwork a football coach.

“I’ll have to tell her, ‘You need to go to sleep, like now,’” Junior says.

But it’s for Baby K and , oh, how they love her.

They knew they would before her birth.

They were told by doctors, after an ultrasound, that there were cysts on the brain of Baby K. The doctors could not assure what type of life could be for Kailualani.

There was also the matter of Baby K’s heart disorder. Junior and his wife relied on the values they know from being in a Samoan family. They leaned on love.

“I can remember leaving the hospital and getting in the elevator and looking at each other and saying here’s what we are going to do: love her as much as we can and nothing more than that,” Junior says. “That was our biggest thing: to treat her like any other kid. Don’t hold her back, which we haven’t done. She’s a typical teenager trying to get away with as much as she can.”

Junior and his wife have been devoted to Baby K, who attended Killybrooke Elementary and TeWinkle Intermediate before graduating from Estancia this past spring.

“We have been blessed,” Junior says of the Newport-Mesa School District. They’ve invited Kailualani’s teachers to various fundraiser events.

Kailualani now attends Harper School in Costa Mesa. Many know her around town and that could be seen at Chipotle on Monday.

Junior and his wife went to all their friends and connections they have in the city they’ve been a part of for Baby K’s life. Wendy spoke at a city council meeting and had many in tears when she talked about her love for her daughter and the meaning for their efforts to raise money for the CHOC Walk.

They held a special fundraising luau at Mesa Verde Country Club Oct. 3.

This year, Team Kailualani has raised close to $40,000. Over the past seven years, they had raised an additional $60,000 for CHOC.

“We’re humbled about her being the ambassador and blessed,” Junior says. “We love doing this, so the special treatment? Yes, thank you. But I don’t think we really need it because we are going to do it regardless. We’ve been doing it the past seven years without the special treatment. It’s just great now that we get to share it with our team.”

Before the walk, Junior will share his message that everyone has a reason to walk on Sunday. It causes the families to recognize their loved one who has received special care from CHOC.

It’s a message that I can relate to since my daughter has been at CHOC for surgeries and treatment. Our family will also be walking in the name of Team Trinity. She has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. Her mother simply refers to that as, “extra fancy.”

Yes, we all have a different reason to walk on Sunday, but we all walk for love.

Advertisement