Kalani football coach Radford Dudoit has always given from the heart.

Now, it’s his heart that needs healing. The second-year head coach is in intensive care due to complications following open-heart surgery. The procedure to repair a leaking valve was successful, but issues with his lungs and the right side of his heart now have Dudoit on a ventilator, Kalani athletic director Gregory Van Cantfort said.

“He is on a ventilator to assist with his breathing and another machine to assist with the functioning of the right side of his heart,” Van Cantfort said. “Zabrina, his wife, has been holding up well considering the circumstances.”

Dudoit is on medication to assist with blood pressure and remains heavily sedated.

“He has shown some improvement, but his hospitalization and recovery will take longer than anticipated,” Van Cantfort said.

An outpouring of concern surprised the family.

“At first, Zabrina was a bit overwhelmed by text messages pinging on her husband’s phone, some asking how he is doing and others seemingly not knowing he was even in the hospital. Players asking when their fundraising money is due,” Van Cantfort said. “She seems to have a grasp on all the communication and is sending out updates on a regular basis.”

The longtime athletic director had spoken with Dudoit prior to his surgery.

“I could sense, understandably, his nervousness. He often liked to stop by my office to talk about it. He knew I had also had heart procedures done. think talking about my own experiences and sharing how good Queen’s Heart Center treated me helped subside some of his fears,” Van Cantfort said. “Assuring him that he has a good family, coaches and players who are praying and rooting for his recovery was also helpful.”

Visitors are not allowed at this point.

“I miss his infectious smiles when he stops by my office. Radford is a coach who brings a lot to the table. He is also a member of our school’s security and is well-liked by the staff and students alike,” Van Cantfort said.

Dudoit, also an assistant athletic director, was at the HIADA conference on Kauai recently with Van Cantfort.

“ He is looking at the possibility of athletic administration,” Van Cantfort said.

Assistant coaches Quinn Griffiths and Wade Araki are carrying on with team operations, Van Cantfort said.

“Summer training has continued without a hitch as they continue with field work, weight training and pass league. I’ll be meeting with Quinn and Wade as we continue to map out the season and the travel to the mainland,” he added.

Van Cantfort learned about mounting medical expenses for Dudoit’s family.

“I asked (Zabrina) if I could help with the GoFundMe that was set up for Radford by promoting it on Kalani athletics social media, which she approved. She is very much concerned about the mounting expenses. It’s much higher than they had planned for,” Van Cantfort said. “She is very appreciative of the love and support coming from everywhere, but especially from the Falcon family.”

The goal of the GoFundMe drive is $8,000.

“But through my own heart procedure experiences, I am guessing that amount is not going to come close to covering their expenses,” Van Cantfort noted.

The link for Dudoit’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/coming-together-for-radford-kaimi-dudoit