Kelowna councillor in hospital with lung infection

KELOWNA – Kelowna city councillor Charlie Hodge has been admitted to Kelowna General Hospital suffering from pneumonia.

The two-term councillor’s confirmed his condition on his Facebook page, saying the infection was confined to his lower left lung and that a CT scan had shown there were no blood clots. Hodge is also known to suffer from emphysema.

"I have no blood clots aside from having it broken over the years my heart is good," Hodge wrote. "The painkillers are helping the pain, and I have no intentions of going anywhere but back to the council chambers ASAP."

Hodge could not resist a shot at his political opponents. "If 4 Change could not stop me, neither will this."

His wife Teresa had earlier confirmed his condition and gave an update to friends and relatives.

“Antibiotics sound like they are kicking in,” wrote Teresa. “He is a tough cookie. You can’t keep Charlie Hodge down for long.”

She also thanked her husband’s friends and well-wishers in her post. “We’re both extremely luck to have such and amazing bunch of friends and support group,” she wrote. “You all rock.”

Hodge was first elected to council in 2008 only to lose his re-election bid. He won a second term in November 2014. He was born and raised in Kelowna and worked as a journalist before entering municipal politics.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infotelnews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 1:04 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 to include new information from Charlie Hodge.