HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to Dan. #23 for the record. Dan did blow out the 3 candles on his cake, which is difficult with low volume pacer air. We're not big cake eaters [ can you tell?]

Dan also celebrated by getting a new Hood Stoma Cap for his trach [see upper photo]. It is made of clear Silicone, does not have a neck tie [which always moves and irritates Dan], stays in with 2 "wings" that fit inside his trach, and is finally the correct size [try #3]. It is taking some getting used to, especially with suctioning and the cough assist, but it seems to be working out okay.
Big thanks to NURSE Talitha (CU'09) for assisting "Dr. Bill" (LOL) on this procedure.


Matt & Em & the grand kids came over to help celebrate. Addy & GG are getting to be quite the artists. They asked for their rides, around the house on Dan's chair, which he gladly gave.







We are well into preparations for a 5-day visit to OHIO for Liz to become an official Knudsen. Which reminds me, Happy Birthday Mike [get your own blog] who is just days away from getting hitched.

It's Dan

Hello again, it's Dan.

What a great semester! I need to thank so many people who helped me with everything these past few months. I could not have accomplished anything without them.

One year down, one more to go. I am taking two classes online over the summer-Business Law and History of World Civilizations II.
It seems like my family's big plans for the summer focus around my twin brother's wedding July 3rd in Cincinnati. I had a really neat opportunity to share my story with a group from my grandma's church this past Sunday.

Thank you to those from the class of 2009 who helped me this past year with my care.

Grandpa Knudsen Home-going

Grandpa Knudsen went home to be with the Lord Tuesday afternoon. We would love your prayers for the family.

Funeral information can be seen here at Norris Funeral Home website.

Photos:

• Top - grandpa "helping out" feeding Dan on his regular lunch visits. [he was always good for a nap]
  
• Left -Dan standing next to Grandpa K on our '06 vacation.
  
• Right - Grandpa rescues a drowning squirrel from the pool at our Geneva house.
  

Happy Birthday Savannah

Savannah turned 1 year old this past week. She is not into riding on Dan's wheelchair like her sisters Addy & GG, but she will in time.

She can be funny, shy, serious, inquisitive, and loves to read books with her bigger sisters. Isn't she the cutest? [spoken like true grandparents]

* Be in prayer for Dan's paternal grandfather - John, who suffered a severe heart attack on Friday.

May 09

Happy 3rd Birthday to GG & Addy

FYI, Dan is back in IL for a while. If you are interested in helping out with his weekly care, give us a call, or send an email to: checkinondan@gmail.com

If you have a few hours a week or every other week, or 1 time a month, we are flexible.

Needed areas of help:

• Nursing or light medical care
  
• AM getting up [starts at 8 or 9]
• PM getting in bed [starts at 8 or 9]
  
• Physical exercise & range of motion exercise
  
• Lunch time meal prep & feeding help
  
• Visiting or hanging out for a few hours, giving us time to get other things done
  
• Insurance paperwork and filing of medical papers, etc

Another financial need -- we would like to get some money to Garrett, Dan's caregiver. Garrett did not get paid the whole year he was with Dan except for the days they were back in IL for breaks. The OH care system is still NOT in place, so he was not able to receive money from OH either. He was only paid about 30%, of what he should have made this past school year. [I know, a true servant] Dan could not have completed this year without his dedicated care.

If you would like to donate to Garrett, mark your check "For Garrett c/o Dan Knudsen", and send to:

Harvest Bible Chapel, 1000 N Randall Rd, Elgin, IL 60123

I don't think this is a tax deductible donation, but Garrett [and Dan] would greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers, as always.

End of school year '09

"Thought you might want these to post on the blog . . . This was OPE's last cookout of the year. Dan drove out in the grass and got to sit in the sun, it was great." ~ Garrett

Well technically, Dan's summer school is a part of the 09 season, but after his final Friday, Dan will have completed his 1st year of college at CU since his accident.

Provided that he passes his Constitutional Law exam today. It is a long written test, and Dan has worked hard to keep up with all of the written part of this class. He does not want any "favoritism, or easy grades" handed to him. We don't know how he has managed to get everything done, considering his constant health issues. [4 hospitalizations, a few ambulance rides, cold weather issues, etc, etc, etc.]

We are so proud you Dan :-)

Pray for him to have clarity of thought as he takes this final.

Autonomic Dsyreflexia [AD], which causes high blood pressure [above 170 for Dan], continues to bother him each night, and many nights he has had to leave his Nitro paste on him to keep his blood pressure down to the low hundreds. The cause?? who knows. His doctors seem to be out of answers, and think he might need to spend some time in the hospital for extensive testing.

Easter, family & friends

Good Friday, Easter, and Dan's visit home have come and gone, and it was enjoyable.

He was able to attend Good Friday and Easter services at church, and saw a number of people, many of you, who help out with his meals and care when he is home.

Friday was egg coloring time at our house and grandma K's. The tradition continued with the next generation of Addy & GG K.


Easter brought family together: Grand parents, Aunts & Uncles, Cousins , Brother & Sis-in-law, and of course Dan's 3 Nieces. A delicious dinner was enjoyed, followed by G-ma J's "world famous" Easter egg hunt.


Cousin Don was in town, and as always, has surreal Military adventures to tell. We are proud and thankful for his service to our country.

A local friend, John, who has a similar injury to Dan's, dropped by for a few hours to hang out. Of course, watching the CUBS win.



Dan's health was pretty good for the most part. The swings in his blood pressure are still puzzling, but hopefully it will not be a deterrent for him to finish these few weeks left of school.