Dear friends, family, and Vernon community members :-)

Please help a good family going through a tough time. The Colmorgen family needs your help and generosity.

Misty (Mom) has been in the hospital since October 24th. She has been suffering from some intestinal issues, primarily to do with her pancreas. She has since had a feeding tube put in to help her get some form of nutrition. The Doctors are telling her that she can expect to be in the hospital for at least another month while they monitor a large cyst on her pancreas and manage her fluctuating pain levels.

As some of you are aware, Misty has a seizure disorder as a result of a bad fall and subsequent brain surgery. She has suffered from epileptic like (pseudo) seizures ever since...sometimes more frequently than others. This led to her hospitalization last year at Kelowna General Hospital...where she was in Intensive Care for three weeks...the first week in an induced coma.

To add to their challenges, their youngest son, Clayten (19), has been diagnosed with Kidney failure. They have been to numerous different specialists over the past year or so, and they still do not have a definitive prognosis as to what is causing his symptoms. These consist of significant drops in his potassium and magnesium levels because one of his kidneys does not process electrolytes. This makes him very ill, to say the least, and can be incapacitating for him, and has led to numerous trips to the ER. He also must go to the hospital for scheduled IV infusions at least once a week.

The most recent attempt to find answers involves genetic testing through the Kidney Care and Renal Genetics Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Unfortunately, they will have to wait a few months for those test results... more waiting.

Then...hopefully... they will determine the root cause of his ongoing issues. This has been extremely hard on Clayten (both mentally and physically) and the rest of the family, but they remain positive and very hopeful. This has had a profound effect on his life.

They also have Misty’s Mom living with them and in their care. She has mobility issues, and although they have home care support through Interior Health, she needs hands-on help with most daily tasks.

This has left the family in a situation where they need to reach out for help. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.

The Colmorgens thank you from the bottom of their hearts.