By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – When the lights dim at the Garden State Film Festival March 29, audiences will witness a deeply personal 20-minute documentary that transforms an unimaginable tragedy into a mission of awareness and hope.
“Vienna: Suddenly an Angel” tells the story of Denise Wunderler’s journey after losing her 3-year-old daughter Vienna to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), a rare medical phenomenon that claims approximately 500 children’s lives annually in the United States.
“We have been able to take grief and then turn this unbelievable, devastating tragedy into something that is positive in helping other people and giving hope,” said Wunderler, a physician, a mom and an activist, now of Pennsylvania. “Hopefully, other people can continue living, even though some days it’s very tough. But I am here. I’m still here for a reason.”
On a seemingly ordinary day in November 2017, Vienna Carly Savino fell asleep watching television and never woke up. The medical examiner found no cause of death, introducing the family to a devastating medical category that even most medical professionals know little about.
The documentary’s journey began unexpectedly in 2022 when Wunderler met filmmaker Marko Albrecht at a community awareness event. Wearing Team Vienna shirts and carrying roses, the family caught Albrecht’s attention.
What started as a chance encounter evolved into a powerful collaborative project.
The Holmdel community has been instrumental in supporting the family. Local businesses and residents have rallied around Team Vienna, from installing a memorial bench at Cross Farm Park to lighting the Bell Works tower pink each January on Vienna’s birthday.
The film isn’t just about loss; it’s about transforming “grief into meaningful action,” Wunderler said, adding she hopes that viewers will understand that, while you never truly “move on” from losing a child, you can move forward and create positive change. “I want a day where there is no SUDC,” she said firmly.
SUDC affects children 1 to 18 years old, unlike a similar condition called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which affects infants less than 1 year old.
Wunderler noted that Vienna’s genetic information, garnered during a research study, did not reveal a cause of death. The family is part of four research studies, but medical experts have not yet found an answer.
“There’s a reason for every child’s death. We just don’t know what that reason is yet,” she said.
Wunderler also runs Team Vienna to educate, raise awareness and inspire research and discussion of SUDC here and in other countries where it is lesser known and works to secure more research funding to investigate the phenomenon at institutes such as Boston Children’s Hospital.
Most importantly, the documentary seeks to normalize conversations about child loss.
For Wunderler, creating the documentary was a process in vulnerability. Initially hesitant to be public about her personal tragedy, she was encouraged by her husband Michael Savino to use her medical background to raise awareness. “I didn’t know how public I wanted to be,” she admitted. “But I realized that for Vienna, and for other children, this is what I need to do.”
“Vienna will never be forgotten,” Wunderler said. “As long as I’m here, I’ll keep fighting to ensure that.”
The article originally appeared in the March 20 – 26, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
