A rising star pastry chef has sadly died at the young age of 25. She was hiking in Hawaii when a falling rock struck her in the head and killed her.
26-year-old pastry chef Gianna Buzzetta was hiking with her boyfriend Connor at Makaleha Falls Trail when a falling rock struck her. She died from the resulting injuries.
"They heard a really loud noise," Gianna's father, Sal Buzzetta, told ABC affiliate KGTV. "He looked up, but couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from. Within a second, it happened ... The rock dislodged from quite a ways up ... then it landed on her."
Although her boyfriend managed to stop her from drowning, he couldn't get cell reception to call for help. He ended up having to run for three miles to flag someone down. By the time first responders arrived, she was unconscious and believing heavily. She later died at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu from her injuries.
Pastry Chef Dies While Hiking
Her parents flew in to say their final goodbyes to the pastry chef. "She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life," her mom told KGTV.
Buzzetta had been an executive pastry chef at Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. "She was in nature," her mom said. "That was her element. She was with the love of her life. In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us. She was living in the best moment she ever had, and that's priceless."
Following her passing, a family friend started a fundraiser to help the family pay for medical bills and funeral expenses for the late pastry chef. They described her as someone who loved her life.
They wrote, "Gianna's passion for life was evident in her love of family, friends, colleagues and those in need. She enjoyed volunteering at animal rescue shelters and desired happiness for others above herself. Recognizing, listening and assisting them to get help was important. Her quiet and often 'spicy' resilience, determination, tenacity, intuitive insight and gentleness left a lasting impression on everyone she met. Her crazy sense of humor lit up a room of laughter that was infectious."
