Update 3:58 p.m.
Charlie Hodge’s Kelowna city council colleague Mohini Singh says is praying for her friend as he fights for his life in Kelowna General Hospital.
Singh, who has sat on council with Hodge for the last four years, said she was told Thursday afternoon he is unconscious and the next few hours will be critical.
“But he’s a fighter,” said Singh. “He’s come through worse.”
And she echoed a call on Hodge’s Facebook page, posted by his friend Chris Olson, to pray for Hodge, who suffered from emphysema.
“All we can do now is hope and pray,” said Singh.
Several people answered that call Thursday afternoon, posting messages on the Facebook page saying they were praying for his recovery.
Olson described the popular Hodge, who is serving his second stint on city council, as “not a politician’s politician, but a people’s politician.”
In addition to his political work and his writing, Hodge is a big supporter of many local charitable organizations and initiatives in the community.
Update: 3 p.m.
Chris Brown, who is a longtime friend of Hodge’s, confirmed Hodge is currently in the intensive care unit at KGH.
Hodge has been in the hospital for three days and the situation is serious, Brown said.
“He’s supported me so much through the years,” he said. As a resident of Powell River, Brown happened to be in Kelowna for a few weeks visiting family and friends.
“Charlie and I were supposed to get together last week but it didn’t work out, and we were trying to get together this weekend,” he said.
Brown said Hodge is currently on a life-support system.
Original:
Kelowna Coun. Charlie Hodge is back in the hospital.
The councillor is at Kelowna General Hospital and his condition is serious, the Capital News has confirmed.
In 2017, Hodge spent time in the intensive care unit after a lengthy surgery to reconstruct part of his jaw.
READ MORE: Kelowna city councillor on the mend after major surgery
Hodge also writes a weekly column for the Capital News.
More to come.
@carliberry_
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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