Hello everyone! Things here in Chicago have been going pretty well. I am enjoying my work at the hospital, Mary is in the process of finishing her first semester and Helena is still doing really well. Our latest news is that Helena will be having her second surgery on Thursday December 7th. In this surgery the surgeon or as I call him "The Rock Star" will add a second shunt on the side of her heart that pumps blood out to the lungs. Basically the surgery is to increase her oxygen levels. In this surgery they do not have to stop her heart and they do not have to crack her chest. The surgeon will actually go in through Helena' side. How does he do that? Well I don't know and I really don't want to know! Sometimes too much information is dangerous. I still can't imagine how this guy is able to operate on a heart that is the size of a strawberry. The only way I can explain it is that such a talent is a true gift from God. We are thankful for Dr. Ilbawi and his wonderful team that will perform the surgery! These people are incredible, believe me!

Helena, Mary and I will have to spend about 5-10 days in the hospital. There are no perks to staying in the hospital except for the free donuts that are delivered to the waiting room each morning at 8:30 a.m. They are darn good donuts! My Dad will also come down from Minnesota to help out. Enclosed are some pictures from Thanksgiving. My parents John and Judy came down in addition to my sister Anne and her husband Grant. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our neighbors one level below, the Manisto-Saari's. In case you are wondering, they are Finnish too! Very Finnish to be exact! Thank you again for all your continued prayers and support! God Bless and check back often as we will daily update the blog starting on the 7th to keep everyone posted about the outcome of Helena's surgery.