Mystery of Sunny Garcia’s seven-year disappearance deepens as surf star turns 56 

"To grieve a loved one who is still here is indescribable."

One of the most profound changes in the human mind over the course of a decade of being wrapped in our phones is our inability to hold onto a thought longer than twenty seconds and this, I think, is evident in the apparent memory-holing of perennial Triple Crown champ Sunny Garcia. 

After an initial outpouring of shock, sadness and calls to pray etc following the discovery of an unconscious Sunny Garcia in room 210 of the Best Western Hood in Oregon, almost dead, and apparently by his own hand in 2019, with the exception of Instagram account @prayforsunny, the surf world has gone largely silent.

Initial reports suggested he’d recover, at least in some reasonably palatable form.

We heard that Sunny was off sedation, but still in a  coma, with doctors treating his kidney and liver with dialysis (an induced coma, where the body and brain is anaesthetised often results in further complications).

Then, we received the news that Sunny was “surprising doctors as he continues to get better.”

According to our source, despite the pessimism  of doctors, Sunny began to breathe on his own and respond to stimuli.

Per his GoFundMe at the time,

“We are taking one day at a time and celebrating each little triumph. Sunny is a warrior and fighting everyday to get better and stronger. He has said a few words and is now in therapy daily – physical, speech and occupational. The family thanks you for your continued support for Sunny as he continues to heal. It’s going to be a marathon not a sprint but we work every day to make sure he is surrounded with love, laughter and Ohana.”

Then, nothing, until we learned he was sent to a facility in Texas paid for by his wealthy Harvard-educated girlfriend Lori Park, one of the first software engineers at Google. 

Park was the Champ’s best hope of recovery, said our sources, as she has the “resolve and the resources” to, if not cure, at least improve Sunny’s condition.

A civil law suit two years back and filed in a Texas court by Park against Vincent Garcia Jr, Sunny’s daddy, for one million dollars, however, shone light on a complicated and apparently fraught recovery.

And, now, as Sunny turns fifty-six, matters are as opaque as ever.

There are family claims of restricted access with Sunny unable to eat, drink or move independently and requiring full assistance.

Per @prayforsunny, managed by his daughter Kaila Toetuu a couple of years back.

“The word ‘sadness’ doesn’t seem to come close to explaining whats been going on in me the last 4 years. To grieve a loved one who is still here is indescribable. Especially because I am being kept from being by his side. And have been for the last 3 years and 9 months. Sometimes for a split second I’ll forget that my dad is still here and then almost immediately I remember. It’s really hard to explain it. But that feeling takes the breath out of me every single time. To me it really feels like I’ve lost my dad. In more then just one way. I yearn for him every single day. I know I will never be the same. My heart has been shattered into so many pieces it’s beyond repair. But I know when the Lord decides it’s our time to come home. I will be whole again.”