Moorhead City Council Member Diagnosed with Rare Disease

As of 2021, the condition affecting Heather Nesemeier has only been documented in 34 individuals.

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – Watching Heather Nesemeier tend to her garden at her Moorhead home, you’d likely have no idea that she’s days away from a life-altering surgery – set to take place on June 16.

The tribulations began early in 2024, as she began to have issues with her digestive tract that manifested in many ways.

A diagnosis was not quick in coming –

“It was hard to narrow it down,” Nesemeier relates. “Was it Crohn’s Disease? Was it ischemic colitis? Was it ulcerative colitis? We went through the gamut.”

and in fact, only arrived after her colon ruptured, which required emergency lifesaving surgery.

It turns out that Heather has idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins – whew – or IMHMV.

This incredibly rare disease was just discovered in 1991, and as of 2021, only 34 cases have ever been reported.

It essentially means that the veins in your colon become unable to circulate the proper amount of blood, causing the tissue to die.

Heather’s got this one further surgery to take out the affected tissue, after which point she should be able to manage her condition through regular checkups and tests.

However, it will require a good chunk of recovery time, and she’s already used up all her sick leave.

So her support network is asking fellow state of Minnesota employees to donate their vacation hours.

“So far I’ve been able to receive four and a half weeks. My expected recovery time will be 8 to 12 weeks,” she explained.

because Heather – ever the fighter – wants to get back to work as quickly as she can.

If you’re able to donate vacation hours, or want to learn more about how you could assist Heather, click here.