A certain niece was asking for historic photos. I dug through my digital collection and came up with these.
As time allows, we’re searching for older ones that will have to be scanned. If anyone has photos they’d like to share, let us know.
– Gary
Niilo spent some 7 hours in the emergency room tonight, due to left leg swelling and new-onset calf pain. Heather, then also Chena, and before discharge, Gary, were with him. He got his blood drawn again, a full-leg ultrasound, and a lung ultrasound to check for blood clots. Results: No pulmonary embolus, but a deep vein thrombus (clot) the length of his leg.
The prognosis is not good: With a history of a bleed in the brain from January 2008 and high risk of falls, Niilo is a very poor candidate for blood thinners, the usual therapy. Blood thinners also wouldn’t dissolve the clot, only prevent it from growing while allowing the body to gradually (months or more) dissolve it. With or without anti-coagulants, there is still a substantial chance of a piece of clot breaking off and lodging in his lungs, very possibly fatally. As the clot has surely been months in the making, timing of such an event is unpredictable, if it happens at all.
In the meantime, Niilo was cheerful this evening. He had only a couple of transient bouts of pain, and seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, talking and laughing far more than usual. He even stated that he understood the diagnosis and prognosis and accepts it. At home, he asked me to stay with him for a while by his bed as he goes to sleep.
The doctors say life can go on as before, just elevating Niilo’s leg to heart level whenever he’s not actively doing something. The swelling and episodic pain may or may not get worse. About how long Dad may be with us, the doctor said, “I predict he’ll live until he dies.” What more can we ask for? If Dad is as cheery most of the rest of his days as he was today with this stuff going on, he’s a lucky man.
Heather
Though Niilo has been pretty droopy since Saturday, Monday afternoon he stayed awake and enjoyed an hour outside with Joan and Heather helping him around the driveway and watering the flowers. Perhaps another time he will do the tour walking.
In 1981 Niilo and I were visiting. As he sat on my couch he noticed a paperback on history of close to 400 pages in length. It had taken me six hours of dedicated reading from start to finish the book. Niilo picked up the book and began reading it. He was literally seeing whole pages in one glance. It took him 35 minutes to read and finish the book.
I then asked him questons about the book. He understood the book far better than I did so I asked him how he did it. Niilo said he had taught himself to read as a young boy after his mother used to read the comics
to him from newspapers of his day. Eventually Niilo was able to teach his
mind to see and read whole pages rather than individual words.
Niilo also described his ability to record complete conversations in his mind of up to three hours. He could repeat these conversations verbatim for several days, then would in effect erase the conversations in his mind to allow for other conversations to be recorded.
In the mid 80s I was visiting Niilo while he was serving as an elected
representative in Juneau. I caught up with him as he entered a budget hearing and decided to stay. Shortly after the hearings began I looked over at Niilo and his eyes were closed as if he were sleeping. Forty minutes into the hearing a question arose, someone asked Niilo if he knew the answer and without opening his eyes Niilo went on to give a detailed history of the problem then outlined several possible solutions.
Following the meeting I asked Niilo why he kept his eyes closed during the hearing when he obviously wasn’t asleep. Niilo said by closing his eyes he was able to more fully concentrate on what was being said. In his own way he was recording the hearing.
I have always so enjoyed watching this amazing mind work. dick farris
2008/06/20 at 3:35 PM
Niilo went to Friends meeting Sunday, after which Friends wheeled him out toenjoy the traditional tea outdoors in the sun. Several phone calls and visitors brought more variety to the day.
Heather
Niilo expressed his condolences upon hearing of the passing of Karl Carlson.
Niilo has been sleeping a lot recently and hasn’t wanted to walk or go outside, telling me that he wouldn’t want to fall. Reassurance that we helpers won’t let him fall seemed to help.
Heather
Sneezes and less energy go along with clouds and rain.
But Niilo was very glad to talk with his childhood Finnish Cooperative housing friend Lauri (pronounced lou-rie, a male name in Finnish) by telephone. “Mita kuluu?” What’s up?
Heather
Niilo is definitely getting stronger: More transfers from wheelchair to car for medical appointment (“Looks good!”), walking with the walker from the car through the entry to the dining table, out around the driveway in the wheelchair, and standing without assistance several times. He looks forward to going to Chena Ridge Friends Meeting Sunday morning.
His brain is improving too, though still very confused. However, he remembered his Wilberforce College (now Ohio Central State) classmate Otha who called and talked with him for some 25 minutes. It turns out they had both been very involved with education and both served in their state legislatures. The last time they were in contact had been at the Democratic National Convention at which Jimmy Carter was nominated as candidate for President.
Heather
As the sun came out in the evening – after hard rains last night – Joan & Heather picked a second batch of rhubarb and planted potatoes. With Nancy D.’s help, Niilo also came out to the garden in his wheelchair and enjoyed the sunshine, the company, and being part of something that is part of his identity.
Nancy noted that Niilo was much more vibrant this week than last, even initiating a short conversation with, “Where are you from?” and asking where Joan went when she left the garden to make rhubarb tapioca.
Thank you Nancy!
Heather
How many organizations? How many committees? How many boards?
How many subscriptions? How much can one keep in one’s head? and still be able to access the information?
Dad could read very fast – though not a whole book in 10 minutes with total recall as someone recently claimed – and related knowledge of scientific and linguistic research to environmental, economic, anthropologic, and political issues. He figured that the more he learned, the easier it was to make sense of and retain, because each new fact related to something else he was interested in. Everything was tied to something else, “like a spider web.”
Niilo’s Causes and Committees…the list will be too long for any one person, but I’ll start it off for all to add to: Community Building, Community Self-Reliance
Healthcare – access for all
Neighbor Helping neighbor – one of founders of:
Chena Goldstream Volunteer Fire Dept
Northern Schools Federal Credit Union (now Spirit of Alaska FCU)
Head Start in northern Alaska
Local Agriculture – Niilo harvested hay, had pride in the family garden
….
There are many many more, but Heather is too tired right now, so please add to the list via Comments!