Colby Taekema and family

A message from the family:

TJ and I are deeply grateful for your love and support; each donation, thought, prayer, and message has been invaluable to us and our children, particularly Colby, as we can both accompany him on this medical journey.

My name is Dorothy, life long Friend of Verena. Many of you know Verena, TJ, Emmett, and of course Colby!

Colby is a very sweet, loving, fun and happy little guy. He has many challenges, challenges that are not going away, any time soon. With these challenges comes full time care, many Vancouver medical trips, and more medical expenses.

Due to Colbys needs, this has made it difficult for both parents to work and bring in any income to help support all of these additional expenses.

They have managed for the past couple of years, however, rising cost of everything and as Colby gets older the harder it will get and the more hands on they will have to be.

We are trying to help lift the financial burden a little for them through this time.

Here is a little note from Verena

My name is Verena, and I'm a proud mom to two amazing boys, Emmett (11) and Colby (2). My fiancé, TJ, is a hardworking mechanic, and we're a family that's learned to lean on each other through life's ups and downs.

Our journey as a family has been filled with challenges. In 2018, Emmett suffered a tragic accident just before his 5th birthday, resulting in single-sided deafness. He's undergone five surgeries and numerous recoveries, infections, and check-ups. Although he's been clear of surgeries for a few years, a recent check-up revealed the need for another ear surgery to alleviate pain and allow him to enjoy water activities. Additionally, Emmett has a mass on his neck, which will require surgical removal at BCCH, sometime next year.

In 2022, our youngest son Colby was born with a rare genetic disorder called CHD8 with overgrowth syndrome. With only 167 ISH clinically diagnosed cases, there's limited information available, leading to frequent hospital visits and monitoring at BC Children's Hospital. This tho, had changed our lives, we would never change it but having a child with disabilities is a challenge but it’s the most rewarding job you will ever do. But living in a town that doesn’t have all access to all the medical needs that Colby needs can be a challenge in its own. We have the biggest support system between the pediatrician, doctors, physio, occupational therapy and speech plus all his other specialists in between.

Colby's first two years have been marked by numerous medical challenges. After birth, we had to return to the hospital daily for a couple of hours to monitor his jaundice. As he grew, we noticed unusual head growth, which led to a CT scan and a swift transfer to Prince George. We spent four days in the hospital in PG to make sure Colby was stable before heading back home. Six weeks later, Colby began experiencing seizures, prompting another hospitalization at BC Children's Hospital for eight days. We got his diagnoses around his first birthday. we've been traveling frequently to Prince George and Terrace for both kids' medical appointments, scans, and hearing tests. Additionally, we've had multiple admissions to our local hospital over the past couple of years, highlighting the ongoing medical needs of our children.

Just five weeks ago, we visited Vancouver for a series of appointments. Colby underwent a neurology follow-up for his seizures and brain bleeds/ eeg, while Emmett had two appointments for his ear and the mass on his neck. Unfortunately, Colby fell ill while we were already in Vancouver for his other appointments, and we had to reschedule his MRI as he needs sedation and they can’t do that when they are sick due to the risks. We're now set to return to Vancouver this Sunday December 8th for Colby's rescheduled MRI and a sleep study, as he struggles with severe sleep disturbances, often going without sleep for extended periods.

Just in a brief overview of the in between too, but Throughout the years, I've also faced my own health challenges. In 2019, I suffered a blood clot in my brain, leading to severe migraines and seizures. Fortunately, the clot has dissolved, and I've been seizure-free for several years. In 2020, I underwent surgery for drop foot, unfortunately, I developed a clot after the surgery, leading to internal bleeding in my leg which led to more time off work. In 2021, I experienced an ovarian cyst burst, resulting in internal bleeding in my stomach and was almost fatal to me as I lost over hapf my blood supply. All These health issues plus the kids health issues, have resulted in significant time off work and accumulated bills.

TJ has been our sole source of income since I went on maternity leave in 2022 and subsequently became a full-time caregiver for Colby due to his complex needs. With multiple upcoming trips to Vancouver for both kids' medical appointments, we're facing significant expenses and travel challenges.

We're barely able to afford these trips, and the financial strain is taking a toll on our family. We're hoping to feel a bit more stable again soon. As a family, we've been navigating the complexities of medical care for several years, with numerous trips to Vancouver and other cities for appointments and treatments and we are at a point that we need help.

Sincerely thank you for everyone's support from the bottom of our hearts. You can never know how much this all means to us.