ELMWOOD – A fundraiser has been set up by family friends for Elmwood School Board President Brooke Glaus, who is recovering from a life-threatening medical emergency. She and husband Erik are the parents of Maggie and Lucas Glaus, recent Elmwood graduates.

According to the GoFundMe page, organized by Amy Wolske, Amy Jolicoeur and Jill McCausland, Glaus went to the emergency room in the early morning hours of the Dec. 21, 2025 due to severe abdominal pain which quickly turned into a life-threatening emergency. An ambulance took her to St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, where she underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery. Doctors found a ruptured ovarian cyst and extensive endometriosis. Though she left the hospital the following day, her condition worsened Dec. 28.

“She became short of breath, confused, and visibly unwell,” the page states. “She was rushed to the emergency room in Menomonie, where doctors discovered fluid in her abdomen. During this time, she suffered a medical emergency and needed immediate intervention. Due to severe winter weather, she could not be airlifted and was transported by ambulance to Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire.”

Glaus underwent another emergency surgery on Dec. 29, in which doctors discovered severe sepsis caused by a puncture in her small intestine from the original surgery. Infection had spread throughout her body and doctors admitted her to the Critical Care Unit. Over the next few days, she endured multiple major surgeries to remove infected tissue, repair her intestines and clean infection from her abdomen.

“Brooke spent a week in a medically induced coma in the critical care unit,” the page states. “She woke up from the coma and faced some setbacks, including pneumonia, blood clots, recurring infections, and difficulty breathing on her own. She was intubated and then extubated twice during her stay, and then, after the second time, they decided that a tracheotomy was necessary.”

She has slowly been showing signs of progress, including waking up, following commands, squeezing hands, breathing independently for short periods of time, and speaking with loved ones. Doctors were able to remove the tracheotomy, and she has started physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapies.

According to her friends, Glaus was moved out of the Critical Care Unit on Jan. 20 and continues her journey in the Progressive Care Unit.

“She has a long road of rehabilitation and will require ongoing medical care, therapy and future procedures,” the pages states.

The fundraiser, which can be reached at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-brookes-road-to-recovery-xqrn8 is meant to provide the family support during Glaus’s extended hospitalization and rehabilitation. The money will be used to help cover medical-related expenses and essential family needs, including transportation and daily travel for husband Erik to visit the hospital and rehabilitation center, meals, and other out-of-pocket costs that arise during treatment and recovery.

“We want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out and supported us in different ways. We appreciate the continued love, support and prayers,” the family wrote on the page.