June 17, 2015 at 2:33 p.m.
Local restaurant supporting Wege family
Sportsman's Cafe donating 15 percent of Father's Day sales to A.J. Wege
Local restaurant supporting Wege family
By Kayla Thomason-
A.J. Wege, 30, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis - a genetic disorder affecting the lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestine - when he was an infant.
In a nutshell, in people with cystic fibrosis the channels that produce the enzymes that digest food are blocked. This causes a variety of infections that can cause organs to start shutting down, according to Amy Steele, Wege's aunt.
The family says Wege had been doing well but with the recent passing of his father, Dale Wege, a man he idolized, his health took a turn.
Wege was admitted to Marshfield Clinic due to fluid forming around his heart and in his lungs. He needs a lung transplant and is on dialysis.
"He needs to get stronger and put on some more weight (before he can have the transplant)," Steele said, adding that the disease makes it difficult to put on weight.
"Maybe (the donations will) bring some good and he'll see everything good that people are doing and wanting to support him and with that hopefully he can recover and get healthy enough to get his lungs," Steele said.
The proceeds from the special Father's Day promotion will go toward Wege's medical bills.
"It will just help with all of his medical expenses, give him some sort of peace of mind for his family," Steele said.
Wege lost his younger brother, Brandon, to cystic fibrosis on June 26, 2012.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.