Personal Story


hummingbird-waterford-vein-logo

The Hummingbird has been the official logo of the Waterford Vein Institute of Hawaii & Pacific Rim Cardiovascular, Inc. since its inception and is a truly personal story. Engineers remind us that the hummingbird regularly seems to defy known laws of aerodynamics, and can not only fly with more traditional appearing birds, but is the only bird who can fly vertically, laterally, backwards, and can even hover – and it does so with amazing grace and elegance and precision,  and seemingly without effort. Combining immense natural beauty, eternal intellectual curiosity, and wondrous biotechnological adaptive characteristics with a legendary work ethic and efficiency, the Hummingbird is aptly suited to further brand a practice that offers and delivers state of the art vein, vascular and cardiothoracic services practically to your doorstep, on both Maui and the Big Island. The availability of this level of service in multiple locations and on both islands is expected to greatly reduce, and in many instances, virtually eliminate the need to travel to Oahu or the Mainland in order to receive recommendations and care from a superbly trained, Board Certified, and experienced practitioner in Vein, Vascular and Cardiothoracic Medicine and Surgery.

Though there are many parallels between the hummingbird and our practice, to truly understand our logo, one must embark on a journey back in time, well over a half century ago and nearly five thousand miles to the East. For, on a white sandy beach, on a beautiful and cloudless summer day several decades ago, a chance encounter between a young man and a young lady would ultimately lead to the tale and legend of the Hummingbird, as we know it. You see, it was here that my Mom, Mrs. Betty Waterford, and my Dad, the late Mr. Alfred Waterford, first met. And their journey of life and love would result in 5 children, several grandchildren, a successful family business, and a story that, frankly, seems a little hard to believe. Suffice to say that, despite the rigors and time constraints of a small family business, Dad somehow found a way to almost always make it home for the nightly Waterford family evening meal. In the Waterford household, as it was and still is for many families, this was more than just a time to eat dinner — it was more about family time. It was the one point in the day that we could all consistently and reliably “reconnect” – despite the rigors of an incredibly busy and hectic schedule that included not only the logistics of running the family business, but also coordinating the activities of five children who were engaged in the classroom, various sporting and other extra-curricular activities, as well as other events and activities in the community.

Perhaps even more amazing was the realization that Dad’s arrival for the family meal was generally heralded by the appearance of a Hummingbird, who would routinely fly up to the front window, peer in, and then dance gracefully in mid air for a minute or two, before moving on, almost as if to announce Dad’s pending arrival home and the fact that it was “dinner time.” After noticing this association between the Hummingbird’s dance and Dad’s regular arrival a few moments later, Mom began to share this experience with the kids. We would watch in amazement as this sequence of events would regularly unfold, seemingly day after day. Ever the skeptic, and with a scientific mind and inclination even as a small child, I sought to “explain” this mere coincidence. But this was well before the days of cell phones and the Internet, and long before the days of text messages and tweets.   Furthermore, who knew when Dad’s day at the office would really end, and when he would really be on his way home, or when this elusive hummingbird would show up at a place where he had no invitation, or other obvious attraction? Nonetheless, the more I tried to explain and rationalize this phenomena, the more impossible the task became. It got to the point that, when the hummingbird arrived, Mom would instinctively begin the final preparations for dinner and call us all to the table, because the mere hummingbird’s appearance and dance at the front window could only mean one thing:  Dad would be home momentarily, and so, it was Dinner Time!

And so, as the story goes, it only seemed fitting that the regular hummingbird sightings ceased in the first week of Autumn in the year 2000, when Dad passed away unexpectedly. A few months later, Mom relocated to California, where all the kids had previously migrated. Dad was no longer with us, the kids had all grown up and moved away, as had Mom, and so, it appeared that this is where the tale of the Hummingbird would end. However, more than a  year later, and more than 2000 miles now to the West, the hummingbird sightings returned! Initially, they were sporadic, and generally occurred only on special anniversary dates (Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary, Dad’s Birthday, etc,). Later, the sightings would become more frequent, and often appeared when one of us was engrossed in deep thought and reflection about Mom and Dad. But it was when I witnessed his special dance at the front steps of my then home in California, on the 1st birthday of my eldest daughter, whom Grandpa never had the opportunity to meet, that I really became a believer… The hummingbirds were back, and were we all ever happy to see them again!

During his career, Dad worked tirelessly as the principal owner of the family business, and he often reminded us that, in his business, there was nothing more valuable than his reputation. He also frequently remarked that he had three of the most important clients – the one currently in the office, the one who had just left, and the one who would next walk through the door or inquire on the telephone. He also regularly noted that the fate of the family business rested squarely on the shoulders of these three clients. Dad’s philosophy to the end was that the delivery of impeccable service to each client was essential, and that, further, each and every client should be treated like “family.” This paradigm worked for Dad in the office machine business in the latter decades of the 20th Century in the South Suburbs of Chicago, even though it was a period of great technological expansion, and a time when many “Mom and Pop” outfits succumbed to the economies of scale offered by larger outfits. Amazingly, these same principles of excellence, dedication, service and commitment still apply to many businesses and services today, including medicine and surgery.

And so, inspired by this journey, it is with great pride and humility that I welcome you to the Waterford Vein Institute of Hawaii and Pacific Rim Cardiovascular. It is both our mission and my promise and personal guarantee that you will receive both state of the art and compassionate care, by a Fellowship Trained and Board Certified and experienced, and caring physician, and similarly trained and dedicated staff. We will take the time to explain and discuss every aspect of your care, and treat you like family in the process.   And you will quickly both notice and appreciate that this is a  level of care and service that I expect, you deserve, Mom appreciates, and one which would make Dad very, very proud.

R. Randolph Waterford, MD

Dr.Randy Waterford | Maui Vein Treatment

Dr.Randy Waterford | Hilo Vein Treatment | Kona Vein Treatment