Christmas will be a little different for our family this year. Last week (Dec. 18th), my mom (Jami Charon) took a fall that landed her in the hospital. While bringing out the garbage late at night, she slipped on the ice and was unable to get up, forcing her to lay in the bitter cold for a significant amount of time. The cold quickly set in, causing major frostbite to her hands and feet, as well as minor burns to other parts of her body. Assuming she had been knocked out, she tried getting up off the rugged ice, cutting and scraping her already frozen body. When she finally got enough strength to crawl into the house, she called for help. After being dismissed by the Cloquet E.R., she knew she needed further care and took it upon herself to head to the Essentia E.R., where they admitted her right away. She is currently in the trauma unit being closely monitored and experiencing lots of discomfort and pain. Initially, it was looking as if amputation would be in her future. However after watching things closely the first few days, her doctor says she is extremely lucky, as she should keep all her fingers and toes. Even so, the skin and nerve damage is severe. As of today, most of her fingers are numb. Her feet are covered in open wounds, with her toes in rough condition and completely numb. It’s hard to see (so we won’t post all the pictures), and I can only imagine how scary it is having to wait day by day to see how things progress.

While she’s thankful just to be alive, the recovery process will put her out of work completely, bringing her the financial worries most people face in these situations. The future is unknown right now, and she has no timeline for when she’ll be able to return to work. If we could contribute even just a little to help her get back on her feet (literally) while she fights to recover, it would mean the world to her.

If you know my mom, you probably know how much she loves the Christmas season. It sure isn’t easy for her to be sitting in a hospital room for the holidays, while we’re all home trying to maintain some normalcy for our young children. If you’ve got a moment to spare, please reach out to her, check in, and send some love!

Thank you, and Merry Christmas!