Grandpa's birthday and Grandpa's moving (across the hallway)

 Dear family,

I've been able to see grandpa five times in the last two weeks, which has been really helpful to get a good sense for how he is doing.  Grandpa is doing well in some areas and struggling in others.  His overall health is quite good and his leg is healing well.  He is working hard in therapy; the staff there enjoys him and tells me "he's a hard worker."   

But grandpa is struggling with his cognitive abilities.  The nurse told me that often a traumatic event - and even the anesthesia - can create long-term cognitive ability issues.  We have very positive, fun and long conversations (both in person and over the phone) and grandpa is his normal self and can recall events well from a long time ago.  But he'll struggle to remember what time of day it is and will think it's morning when he wakes up from his nap.  He told me yesterday that he had a hard time filling out his menu (it's actually pretty long with a lot of options) and felt like "my brain is working like it should."

Please pray for him and for Iryna and me as we work with the staff to see what's the best place for him when he leaves the Therapy Center.  I don't think going home is realistic nor would be good for him.  But we want to find a place where grandpa will not only be safe but will be enjoying life and interacting with people like he enjoys doing so much.

Grandpa loves calls and just got a good phone by his bed that he can hear very well on, so it's fun and easy to carry on a conversation with him.  The number there at Carris Therapy Suites is (320) 214-2700.  The staff there is great and will be helpful transferring the call to his room or even checking in person to make sure he gets the phone.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support.

Love, Uncle Tim/Tim