Called my mother, but she wasn't there: papa picked up the phone and we spent half an hour talking.

I don't understand about 90 percent of what he's saying. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Of what I do understand, he is very happy for me, because of Marta and all that I'm doing and seeing (which isn't a lot, but still). He's still the kindest person in the world - his three strokes in one year weren't able to change that.

Here's a picture of him 27 years ago, at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow - he's the one in the center of the picture, smiling into the camera: