Baby’s Short Life Inspires Preemie Fund

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Chieh Fu and Chrysti Chun Lu with their son Cory keep vigil with younger son Camren at Kapiolani Medical Center. Photo from Chrysti Lu.

The memory Camren Mu Fei Lu, an infant who passed away at Kapiolani Medical Center last spring, lives on through the volunteer work of his mother and via a new cookbook by a local hairdresser.

“My son was a preemie baby. He was 25 weeks when he was born, so he was 15 weeks premature,” explained Chrysti Lu, who is part of Kaneohe’s kamaaina Yim family.“He was born in January 2006. I spent a little over a year living in the hospital with him. He passed away this past March from a virus.

“I’m volunteering because I lived in the hospital for so long,“she added, noting how hard it was to leave. “I had serious hospital withdrawal, so I decided to volunteer there. Then I can just help other parents and patients.”

Lu and her husband, Chieh Fu, a Castle High graduate, spent their long hospital stay in a room that KMC provides for parents and their premature infants. Parents can stay overnight in the room and become familiar with any machines they may need to take home with their babies.

At Camren’s funeral people donated money to the family, which the Lus donated to the medical center to improve that room.

“It was in bad shape when Camren was there, so we decided to fix it up. At the moment, it is all done except for a bunch of paintings that I want to do. People have been using it.

“Somehow I have this ability to draw and paint, so I felt that it was my personal touch to the room,“added Lu, an architect by trade. “Initially, I thought I would paint the wall. My ambitious goal is to paint 16 boards.” Lu’s friend Annie Yonashiro became close to Camren after watching him for his parents while he was still in the hospital.

“My son, he couldn’t be exposed to germs because of his health. Because she (Annie) is a germophobe, I had asked her to come stay with him at the hospital. Through that she got really close to Camren.”

As a result, Yonashiro is donating a portion of the proceeds from her cookbook, Annie’s Favorite Favorites/Island Style Cooking to the Kapiolani Health Foundation Pediatrics Fund in memory of Camren Lu.

The books are on sale for $15 at Salon Nanea at 320 Ward Ave. in Honolulu, where Yonashiro works as a hairdresser, as well as through Dan Kikumoto in Mililani (479-5817) and at the Kaneohe office of State Farm Insurance at 46-024 Kamehameha Highway.

“I love to eat, cook (and) I love the Food Network,“said Yonashiro. “(This book) is a collection of my favorite recipes shared from my clients and friends over the years, (mostly) comfort food recipes.”

It is also her third book. Sales from the first two helped support the Hawaii Bone Marrow Registry. The latest one has been selling well so far. “We sold so much already, but we still ordered enough for next year,” she said.