Family gets help with hearing, vision and dental needs, plus more than $4,400 for medical bills

The Mitchell family of Tooele will have a Christmas they thought wouldn’t come this year thanks to the generosity of Transcript-Bulletin readers.

On Friday, Santa made a special delivery to the family on behalf of the Transcript-Bulletin Christmas Benefit fund. He was accompanied by the newspaper’s publisher, Scott Dunn, and editor, Jeff Barrus, who presented the family with a check for $4,446, a short list of services donated by concerned citizens and businesses, and several bags full of toys.

“Thank you very much,” said father Michael, 30. “I want to thank whoever nominated us and thank Tooele County. It’s pretty awesome. I’m speechless.”

Mother Marsha, 32, looked gratefully at her children Aleisha, 7, Isaac, 6, and 3-year-old Skyler, while they took turns sitting on Santa’s lap in the family’s living room. The children eyed gifts that had been placed in a previously empty space beneath the family’s Christmas tree.

The donations from the Transcript-Bulletin and its readers are a boost to a family who has endured many trials, including medical emergencies and financial hardships, this past year.

Michael has been hard of hearing since birth and Marsha became deaf after contracting meningitis when she was 3.

Michael was working two jobs to support his family at the start of the year. But when he quit one job and subsequently lost the other job, it took a toll on the family’s finances. To make matters worse, he spent a month in the hospital after Aleisha found him unconscious at their home.

“When she found me she was pretty traumatized,” Michael said. “I was thinking about it the other night — what if she wouldn’t have found me?”

Michael’s body was overworked and he was dehydrated. He remained in a light coma for two weeks. Even after he left the hospital, the medication he was on for dehydration and back pain, in addition to anti-depressants, caused his kidneys to shut down. He was on dialysis for two months, which required him to make frequent trips into Salt Lake for treatment.

Michael said his last check on his kidneys showed if he stays healthy and keeps exercising he will live for a long time. Sometimes, he said, in nice weather he walks to his job as a butcher at Macey’s.

“I work with a bunch of good people,” he added.

Marsha also had some health problems of her own last year. She had to have her gallbladder and tonsils removed, and still needs to have her wisdom teeth pulled. She also needs new eyeglasses.

“It was one bad luck after another,” Michael said. “I just kept biting my tongue, keeping it real and keeping my chin up.”

The family’s Christmas list was small, but several items were much needed. A couple local businesses stepped up to fill that need.

Dentist Michael Wells has offered to extract Marsha’s wisdom teeth, and doctors Jed Winder and Kris Hill at Tooele Vision Center have offered a free eye exam and a new pair of eyeglasses for Marsha. In addition, Cache Valley Electric has donated a TTY/TDD phone for the family to use.

Now Michael hopes to be able to use the experiences he’s had to help others in similar situations.

“I like to help other people out,” he said. “I’m somebody who had the experience and went through it, and I could support them.”

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com