Family of a 39-year-old husband and father who died last week can use help, as can the family of a teenager in need of heart transplant
The Vancouver community has rallied for a family grieving the loss of a husband and a dad, and for another family who has a son battling for his life.
Two different GoFundMe accounts, set up just in the last few days, have raised more than $55,000 as of Monday morning.
Ivan Nikitin’s family is asking for help after his tragic death in a vehicle collision on Friday. He was a husband to Anna, and the father of four children ages ranging from 3 months to 7 years old. He was the sole provider for the family.
As of Monday morning, that GoFundMe account had raised $33,000 to pay for funeral costs and to help Anna care for their children.
Another Clark County family is in need of help, as well, and again, the community is responding.
Luke Montei, a 15-year-old who was born with a heart disease, has been transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital where he is in ICU.
Luke was told last summer that he would need a heart transplant and, most likely, a liver transplant. He was in the process of being put on the transplant list when he suffered a setback and had to undergo two life-saving surgeries over the New Year’s holiday weekend.
“He is in a very fragile state, yet continues to show us every day of every hour that he is the strongest person we’ve ever known and he is not ready to go anywhere,” posted his family on the GoFundMe page.
He is a true heart warrior and a blessing to us all.”As of Monday morning, that account had raised more than $22,000.
For more information on each family, and to donate, go to their GoFundMe accounts:
https://gf.me/v/c/wxj6/in-loving-memory-of-ivan-nikitin
And
https://gf.me/v/c/wxj6/supporting-medical-costs-for-luke-montei
Also read:
- Vancouver Fire contains outbuilding fire
Four engines and two truck companies held a three-outbuilding blaze to the structures, sparing an adjacent home. - Opinion: ‘A more responsible approach must be sought’
Ken Vance argues a $10 billion funding gap makes the phased I-5 Bridge approach fiscally reckless, not responsible. - Semi-truck brings 40,000 pounds of donations to Clark County Food Bank
40,000 pounds of donated food arrived at the Clark County Food Bank, enough to feed about 1,400 people for a week. - ‘Light rail to nowhere’? Surging costs undercut I-5 bridge transit plan
Vancouver’s promised light rail extension to Library Square has no timeline, and the waterfront station would sit 90 feet above ground. - Raptors, Ridgefield welcome another season of West Coast League baseball
Mayor Matt Cole threw the ceremonial first pitch as the Raptors opened their 2026 season with a 9-0 win. - POLL: Do patriotic displays like Yacolt’s road striping help strengthen community spirit?
A Yacolt road striping project tied to America’s 250th anniversary is dividing opinion in Clark County. - Opinion: The challenges of getting the Brockmann mental health facility open
A $42 million, 48-bed mental health campus near WSU Vancouver was completed in 2025 but never opened due to lack of state funding.
