Moved from “about” to a post:

Ruth and Carl Benson wrote April 28, 208 at 7:51 pm:

Hello Chena and all; We had no idea Niilo had been ill. We send our best wishes for his continued improvement and hope he can be taken home tomorrow! Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

Ruth & Carl

One banana, Two banana, Three banana…and then Heather called in for reinforcements! Dad ate lots of bananas and other food at supper tonight. He is drinking (usually with a straw) too.

In the afternoon, a hospital physical therapist showed us how to transfer Dad from bed to walker in anticipation of TUESDAY GOING HOME. He stood up a couple of times, but was not interested in walking. She also gave us hints on home care. As well, we are recruiting information from elsewhere.

Heather has been making sure we have all the right things for him, including a phone near his bed. The hay barn part of the house was renovated to be fully accessible in the past year, so he will go back to his hospital bed there, with everything needed nearby. Heather lives one floor above and is taking time off from work to coordinate Dad’s health needs. Other family members are helping out with life at the homestead.

Some of you want to know if you can call him at home (907-479-6782): Tuesday is not good because it will be busy for him and us. But after that, you can call unless we post differently. Please be prepared for a one way conversation, though! When Dad speaks, it is very softly. Most often he does not say much now. We will of course keep people posted on this site.

I read to him some of your posts, and told him other news. Thank you for your good wishes.

Dad has been being treated with antibiotics for an infection. I believe this is orally now. He has a small line going into his vein for inter venous maintenance fluids, but there will be no PIC or other larger lines, I believe. We hope to give you a better reading on his status in the near future, but today I can say he is very weak, almost always verbally not communicative, but appreciating company (thanks for the massage, Ron). He was treated to a visit by fellow Finn Fred Brown today and with a musical event by Ed Ashby. I am sure others visited too.

Hope to tell you about Dad coming home tomorrow. Would really wish one of you in touch with the weather department would request some blue skies and sun to help cheer up things here in the frozen north. There is still snow and lots of mud around; tolerable but better if the sun is peeking out. We will help Dad look out on that beautiful view of the mountains and more Tuesday.

–Chena

One of the reasons we appreciate the comments so much is that there are family members and friends who are deeply moved by knowing that others care. If we tell each other by voice that “so and so sends their love and remembers such and such,” the circle of sharing is complex, time consuming, and incomplete. I believe and you have told us, that your thoughts and feelings strengthen all of us. Especially for those out of town, reading this site is vital for connection.

As well, we tell Dad what you have said or read to him from your cards and letters. Sometimes he smiles and responds. Even when he doesn’t, it is good for him to know what you have said.

On a utilitarian basis, there is a lot for the family in town to be doing now. For us to speak individually with people is lovely, but do consider we need to be attending to Dad and Mom and a host of pressing issues, so for us to spread the news partly via this site let’s us focus on many things.

If you know of people who would like to be kept abreast of Dad’s health, please tell them about this site and/or let them know that the Koponen mailing address is 710 Chena Ridge Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709.

Thanks, Chena

Heather spoke with the doctor this morning about the family’s desire to bring Dad home. If Dad continues eating as he ate breakfast this morning, it is likely that Dad will return home on Tuesday or Wednesday.

We will, of course, keep you posted. Your comments are so heartwarming.

John, I hope others join in on May Day & other thoughts we can share with Dad.

–Chena

(This was posted on “About” on Sunday evening. Moved here by Chena. Folks, please don’t post on “About!”)

Amy and I wish we could be there to talk with Niilo and you all. It would be strange to not get a Niilo mini-essay in response to a provocative comment; I hope he is storing those up for a better day soon.

Among our thoughts that Niilo might enjoy hearing are that, at the Folk Festival a couple of weeks ago Charlie Hunt (mandolin) and his wife (accordion) played a Finnish folk song; I think it was “Metsan Kesaiilta” (sorry, I can’t do the umlauts, and the spelling is likely wrong). I don’t know if Niilo knows the musicians, but he probably knows the song. Maybe Gary already reported this. It was good talking with Gary while he was here, and catching up on the Koponen clan.

Amy helped me convert an old red linen tablecloth into a flag today. We will fly it Thursday, May Day, and raise a glass to our comrade.

I just remembered something Niilo told me long ago, about his meditation practice in Meeting: As I remember it, he said that he would visualize and sense the circle (which I think he said included others not physically present), and then embrace each person, one by one. Please ask Niilo if I remember that right. There are so many of us, it’s a huge task!

Our love to you all,
John & Amy

(This was posted on “about” and moved here:)

I sent a card and I am hopeful Niilo received it and knows that we are thinking of him. Niilo and his enthusiasm have helped me to continue on and fight the good fight. He inspires me and has from the first moment I met him back in 2006. The articles he has sent to me, the conversations, and the inspiring words in his letters are my treasures. The picture with him and a group of supporters is one of my favorite photo’s taken during this wild ride of campaigning. He is in my heart as I know he must be for so many. I feel blessed to know him and I look forward to getting to know the rest of the family.
With love and prayers,
Diane

I loved hearing from Bob Betts and from Kotty. Some of the grandkids grew up with Niilo and some lived too far away. He has a special feeling for all of you. Today I listened in as Dane, Heather’s son, told his mom about visiting Grandpa, and the big wave Niilo gave as Dane charged off to Soldotna today for firefighting work. Also today I read two postcards from my son Max, who lives in Somerville, MA but grew up in Fairbanks. They share a love of politics and so much more (same college, same “collect every paper you ever touched…”). And Dad loves Sanni so much, and Kotty’s dad Bob (Sanni’s husband died not so long ago of cancer) held a dear place in Dad’s heart. Kotty, Grandpa is so appreciative of your thoughts.

The hospital staff said Dad had a lot of visitors today. He sure was wiped out when I visited for the second time before supper tonight. Waved off the offer of a second helping of chocolate pudding. The flowers from an eighty-something are beautiful: thanks! It is meaningful to Heather and me that people visit Dad, and I hope it is good for the visitors and for Dad also.

Kotty, I agree with you about the stories. Niilo stories need to be told and shared. He is an amazing person and so many of us know just certain aspects of him. He could tell us about anything he thought we’d be interested in: language and where it came from, history, anthropology, B-12 deficiency….oh lordy, a million different things. Nancy Hidden Dodson once told me how if you opened a file drawer in his mind, no telling all the associated files which would be opened up. We have all learned so much from him and learned that all of life is so interconnected.

But above all to me, he has been loving and calm, so oriented to peace and joint resolution. Thanks to those of you who have communicated how he has enriched your lives. Bob, I look forward to more of your Niilo stories.

–Chena

I had such a wonderful afternoon and evening with Dad. The antibiotics, perhaps, were working their miracles, and he was with us today. There were the times singing Finnish songs–I had to close the door, though, because I couldn’t stand to be overheard, as it was incredibly difficult for me to sing through the tears and the stuffed up throat–with Dad trying to sing along. The “I love you” holding of hands and talking to each other as family closed in: what can I say except I have been so lucky to have been born to my Dad and Mom?

Dad was in pain. His stomach, he says. But he talked to us about his undergraduate years at Wilberforce in Ohio, which he’d gone to as an alternative to his preferred Antioch (couldn’t afford the tuition.). He laughed when we recalled the graduation picture showing masses of black faces with one white face in the upper left, and another in the lower right–both Niilo! He told us he was the first white graduate of Wilberforce. At Antioch, Coretta Scott was a student. He told us how smart she was and how wonderfully she sang. She later went on to marry well….

Dick was there when the doctor talked to us about how Dad was doing. We feel for Dick, who has delivered mail, messages, and more for years to Dad on the Ridge. Maybe I will always think of Mr. Farris and the Anchorage Daily News together, but Dick is much more than that. We all need our friends, and in Dick, our father has had someone who daily gives of himself, even if he is “mean, rotten, and ugly.”

Today was meaningful to me. Dad was of course so gentle, so loving and giving, and also talking about how from the early days he has worked for a better world (modestly, though, he talked of others too who were always doing so much) for all of us. We touched on the fire station–I reminded him that there is a Koponen Fire Station and more. To those of you who know his story, the family invites you to share with other via this forum or others.

Love, Chena

Following getting the antibiotics for the infection Heather mentioned earlier. The PIC line that fed him intravenously all the way to the heart broke where it went into his arm so was replaced with a simple IV. However, for whatever reason, Niilo is lucid this afternoon and visitors would be welcome. Heather, Joan, and Chena have all been visiting today.

We would imagine his stay at FMH won’t be extended, but the current thinking is that he may be better suited at home than at Denali Center.

— Gary

Niilo’s stay at Denali Center was short-lived: Another urinary tract infection sent him back into the hospital (this time room 263) via the emergency room. When you’re not as young as you used to be and your health isn’t what it used to be, every problem lays you lower than it used to. With a new round of I.V. antibiotics, we hope to see Niilo feeling and looking at least somewhat better within 48-72 hours.

With Koponen ‘kids’ spending more time with Niilo, it would be great if other old (and young) friends could treat Joan to drives to see the birds at Creamers Field, or the caribou calves at the Experiment, or movies at Alaska Public Lands Information Center, or to go bowling (only if you score reliably below 100) or even just dropping in to say hello.

Fairbanks had another 17 degrees F and a dusting of snow overnight; watch out for slick roads.

Heather K.