Hi friends.  We apologize that you haven’t heard from us in a while, mainly because every time we planned an update, Richard’s medical condition took an unexpected turn – frequently (unfortunately) for the worse, sometimes for the better.  Such is the nature of recovery from a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) “layered” on top of his “normal” recovery from his blood disorder/stem cell transplant. 

A quick recap: The winter months saw a number of physical setbacks, including 3 hospitalizations due to infections, G tube (feeding tube) complications and a heart scare. It took a long time for Richard to recover but these all resolved positively; we thank God for His faithfulness. As a result of these challenges, however, he became very weak and unmotivated (very unlike the Richard we know and love!), causing insurance to discontinue his PT and OT.  This certainly added to everyone’s discouragement and worry, as Richard was not able to move much at all, let alone stand.  We’re exceedingly thankful for the visits from family and friends during this time, as they literally became a lifeline for him, in addition to Elizabeth’s almost daily visits.

In the last month or so, however, some positive news!  He’s finally starting to trend consistently upward, being more engaging and aware cognitively, which is awesome! He calls family and friends a lot more, asking really intelligent (& mostly coherent) questions, having deeper conversations.  What else makes us smile? PT has picked him back up, and they are saying he is really trying (which was not the case before). His motivation is improving; he now wants to get into his “king-sized” wheelchair frequently (still only by machine, not on his own) and go outside for hours…he wheels himself around some, too.  The next goal is getting him to stand and transfer himself to the wheelchair – he’s still far too weak to do it, but the fact that he is trying to get there, is a great sign. We are so hopeful this will continue – again, relatively uncharted territory for someone recovering from a stem-cell transplant and a TBI.  While everyone’s ultimate desire would be to get him home, candidly it is still far too early to determine if that will even be possible, as his 6’-8” size and TBI (think “other brain”) simply adds many complications to this goal.

One last encouraging bit of information: One of the motivations for him recently has been wanting to attend his son Justin’s wedding this coming Saturday, July 22nd.  Through the efforts of several dear friends, it appears that Richard WILL BE ABLE TO!  The plan is to pick him up from Whitinsville, bring him to the wedding and the beginning of the reception, then head back to the rehab facility that night.  Words can’t express how excited and encouraged everyone is about this, let alone its therapeutic benefits.  Will his “other brain” show up, at any point, in the day?  Probably, based on our experience, but most regular visitors are used to having that as part of the conversation.

Our final requests: Please keep up the prayers as God is continuing to work as only He can, and we know that He really is in control of this whole situation. Also - please visit when you can! Use the Sign-Up Genius, whenever possible. It helps to spread out visitors.
Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044CA4AB2FABF85-richard. 
We know it's been a long haul and it’s indeed wearying, but he remains delightful and it’s a blessing to see the “Richard of old” returning, day by day.

Thank you to all who have been so supportive, through your prayers, helping with odd jobs around the Tienhaara home, verbal encouragement, calls, texts, and visits!  We so appreciate each and every one of you. <3