Dear ICA:

Many of you who have visited Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga have met Gene and Renee of the waterfront CocoNet Cafe. Both of these kind people provide many needed services to cruisers.

Recently, Renee was injured in a motorbike accident and remains in serious but stable condition. She is paralyzed from the neck down on one side and requires, at minimum, a CT scan to determine whether she has a life-threatening blood clot.

A group of friends here in Neiafu has rallied together to help her get the medical attention she requires that is not available here in Neiafu. One cruiser couple has coordinated the evacuation of to Renee to Nuku'alofa (principal island of Tonga) and from there she will need to travel to a US or NZ facility for diagnosis and treatment.

Unfortunately, Renee does not have the ability to pay for her transportation and medical care and so there is a fund raising effort by her friends in the community here in Tonga. The coordinator of fund raising is: Lisa Molloy at the Cafe Tropicana here in Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. She is opening a bank account specifically for funds to help Renee and will provide a full accounting of donations and expenditures.

If you wish to help Renee Nauman (an American citizen from Salem, OR), please contact Lisa at the Cafe Tropicana, Neiafu for advice on how to donate. ANY AMOUNT will be gratefully accepted. Lisa can be reached at: +676-7512870 or lisamolloy@yahoo.com or cafetrop@vavau.to.

For additional information on the situation and how you can help, you can also contact ex-cruiser, Baker Hardin at svlitenup@yahoo.com, Mike Smith of the Aquarium Cafe at
mikeandlorismith@yahoo.com or us at philipandleslie@sv-carina.org.

Thank you for your generosity.

Philip DiNuovo
Leslie Linkkila
SV Carina
Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga