About a year ago, my Grandpa Steve got very sick and ended up in intensive care at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria. He was there for a month before being moved to Heartland Health Care in Henry. He was at Heartland for six more weeks. He couldn’t walk and was there to get physical therapy. 

When Grandpa Steve was at Heartland, we would go and visit him as much as possible. The whole family decided to get together on the Saturday before Easter. That meant 11 kids and seven adults. The kids participated in an Easter Egg hunt while the grown-ups talked. After the hunt, we all stayed in the main room and played games, colored pictures and drank Arnold Palmers (my cousin Jacob taught us how to make these). It was fun, and Grandpa seemed happy. But it was also sad to see him there when he really wanted to be at home. When we were leaving, Grandpa was crying. 

Grandpa did come home shortly after Easter. It was hard because he still couldn’t walk. My Uncle Tom had to make ramps for him to get into the house. They had to redo the doors so the wheelchair could fit. Nothing was made for someone in a wheelchair, but he was so happy when he got to come home.  Grandpa was making jokes to everyone and was determined to make it work.