Judy

Three weeks later ...

2010-10-22T13:13:00.004-05:00

For the past three weeks, I have been intending to write this post but simply could not get myself to do so. The memories are so acute, the wound still has no signs of scabs, the pain is just so real.

Little time goes by that I don't think of Judy, in some way. It is still so unfathomable that she is gone forever. Surely, so convince me my emotions, she will just come around the corner in the empty hallway. That ringing phone at 6:30 p.m, that must be she telling me she is going to be late from work, again, because of an unexpected crisis. The sound of the door to the dining room that I left slightly ajar when I went to sit in the yard, that must be Judy coming out with a mojito for me, right?

Those are my emotions whispering. My intellect, however, tells me loud and clear that all this will never happen. Never, never, never again. And that is what is so hard to deal with. The finality of it all. Oh, how I h-a-t-e it!

Three weeks ago tomorrow, we had Judy's beautiful service and her unforgettable Celebration of Life in the park. I was humbled by the huge number of friends who showed up—some of whom had started the long drive to Lubbock in the early wee hours. Others flew in to not only pay their last respects but also support me. Dear friends, I cannot tell you how much this meant to me. I had no idea how many people Judy had affected in her life, and I had no idea of the profound impact that she had on so many of them. Actually, I do not think that Judy herself ever had any idea. She would have been embarrassed and would have wanted to brush the attention aside, but, knowing her, privately she would have been proud to have had a positive impact on not just one but so many.

If anything, these past few weeks have shown me even more how, well, good it is to be a good person. Judy was a good person. She lived a good life. She did good deeds. She was "good" incarnate, indeed.

I believe all of us who knew Judy have learned immensely from all this, in various ways. She touched us all, and in that sense her life continues even in her death. In her own way she made sure that we'd be better ourselves because she taught us so well in ways we can't forget. What a truly remarkable human being Judy was.

This blog will stay open to serve as an inspiration to those who may seek it. In the weeks to come I will add more photos and other mementos to celebrate Judy's time with us, but I do not think there will be too many more posts like this. If anything, I hope you will guide others to this blog, people who might benefit from some of the material that can be found here. I may add a small area that allows you to keep up with my future path, if you so choose—or maybe I'll start a blog for myself or use Facebook or some such tool. We'll see. No hurry now. The healing needs to start, and that will take time, lots of time.

Thank you for partaking in our long and arduous journey. Judy and I love you all.

Jürgen

Farewell to Judy

2010-09-29T07:35:00.004-05:00

Dearest friends around the world,

This morning at 7:50, Judy finished the valiant fight that she had fought for the past two years. I was at her side—holding her hand and telling her how much I loved her and thanking her for everything she had brought into my life—when her breathing became lighter and lighter and she finally slipped away. The sun had just risen over the horizon and touched the room.

Judy's last few days in the hospital had been filled with her fiercely fighting the cancer. It was not a pretty battle, and I don't intend to belabor the issue. Those of you who saw her in those last few days know how hard she fought, how much resistance she put up, how exhausted she must have been. The nurses kept telling me that they could not believe her strength, physically and spiritually. Well, those of you who had the great fortune to know her and be touched by her know what a tough little package she was.

When Dr. Phillips told me about her failing kidneys and liver on Tuesday afternoon, it became clear that nothing was going to stop the inevitable, and it was easy to decide to not try to prolong her agony but make her as comfortable as possible. Nevertheless, her tremors and fight continued as never was a quitter.

On my request, Tuesday night our friend Andy Y. offered Judy and about 15 of our closest friends communion, something that I felt was important for Judy at this final juncture of her life. Even though she could no longer speak, all of us saw how much comfort she drew from this act. All of us witnessed how she accepted that the fight was over. The speed of her final path seems to be testimony that with that acceptance came a way for her to let go and leave us.

Judy was always worried about others, and she was worried about how I would fare. Well, I don't know about the future, but today I was OK. I did not feel the haze and helplessness that I experienced when we were given the first diagnosis of cancer two years ago. Her final ten hours with us gave me closure, too, and even though I shed hard, hard tears in our last private moments in the same room this morning, I felt surprisingly at peace with everything that had happened.

I would like to ask all those of you who have traveled with us on this long journey to do something for yourselves and for all of us—and many of you may believe for Judy as well: Would you please share how Judy affected you and your life through who she was? We will be having a Celebration of Her Life this Saturday, October 2, at 12:00 noon in Chas. A Guy park (87th Street and Memphis Avenue) here in Lubbock, and we would like to share your comments with all of our friends who we hope will show up. Please send your comments to Liza who has graciously taken over the task of compiling it all. Her e-mail is l.muse@sbcglobal.net. Please send whatever fits into an e-mail!

We will have a memorial service at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning at Judy's church, St. Paul's on the Plains Episcopal, 1510 Ave. X. With the celebration at noon everybody should be able to slip into attire fitting for the kind of get-together that our archetypal party-lady Judy would have been at the forefront of organizing. There will be food, and there will be neutral plastic cups if you'd like to bring your own beverage. Bring your kids, because Judy loved them as you know.

And finally, since so many of our friends have already asked: Please do not send any flowers. Judy enjoyed them, but she enjoyed even more feeding the homeless on Thursday mornings at her church. So, if you would like to support that ongoing effort (and I know they were always short on funds), please feel free to direct any donations in her memory to St. Paul's Neighbor-to-Neighbor Ministry, c/o St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1510 Avenue X, Lubbock, TX 79401.

Dear friends, I hope you will be able to join us on Saturday. Nothing would make me more happy than to share my sorrow and my joy, my tears and my laughter with you at both the service and our celebration of the one that we all loved: my beloved friend, partner, buddy, and wife, JuJu.

In love,

Jürgen

Judy continues her hospital stay

2010-09-27T11:48:00.002-05:00

I wish I could give you better news, but that's unfortunately not the case. Judy remains hospitalized, and her current condition is worrisome. Late last week, Judy started to become confused and anxious, and the truth of the matter right now is that she doesn't respond very well. She sleeps very lightly for a few minutes at a time, then wakes up and looks around for a few seconds, and then sleeps again. Only occasionally does she respond to verbal stimuli. She says a few words, but not much makes sense. She is having a tough time with severe leg cramping that sets in when she gets agitated. A CT scan of the brain has not shown any abnormalities or any spreading of the cancer, so we have to assume that this is an aftereffect of some of the massive drugs that she was given last week.

Whether it was my coming back to her last night from Augusta or whether it is a natural improvement, last night was Judy's best in several. She was much calmer and less agitated than before. One of us has to be constantly at her side to prevent her from removing her tubes or getting out of bed. Lorane and I took shifts last night staying with her.

I have talked to Dr. Phillips and Dr. Howell, and both hope that Judy will make a turn for the better in the next few days. I am very worried. Actually, I am devastated by how fast things went so far south. Right now, all I can do is support her and hope that she will pull through. She is still fighting, and as long as she is, so will I.

I will try to update when we see new developments.

Jürgen

Friday morning update

2010-09-24T08:45:00.002-05:00

Just briefly: Judy spent a better night than the past few, and it appears as if the antibiotics are finally starting to kick in as her fever seems to be much, much better. Dr. Phillips is putting her some other pain meds that we hope will avoid some of her tremors and other side effects. Candice is with her right now. Things are looking a bit better than they have over the past few days.

Time for an update

2010-09-22T23:19:00.008-05:00

Apologies, but the past 2 1/2 days since coming back from Syracuse have been unpleasant and not conducive to updating the blog. I've been scrambling for good news. Here it is:

That's the beautiful birthday "cake" that our dear Martha cooked up for Judy. Isn't it pretty? Even now, close to a week after her b'day, the flowers are in the best shape.

Otherwise, there isn't much good stuff to report. Judy has been hit big and hard: A blood infection; what appears to be a urinary tract infection; and what we hope is c. difficile, a rather nasty bacterial infection that is treatable, while its impostor is worse news. Our hopes lie with Alan's black magic as far as cooking up the most effective antibiotics cocktails is concerned.

Judy is having a rough go at it. Ever the fighter, she cons the nurses (hell, even Alan!) into allowing her to indulge in a tiny piece of Popsicle. You should see the glee in her eyes and the pleasure on her face when she sucks on that precious little bit of taste.

I hope to see Dr. Phillips in the morning and get a better idea of where we stand. For those of you who like to press your thumbs (as most Germans do in a situation like this), this is a good time to exercise your digits; if you put more credence into the power of prayer, Judy will know that you are with her; and if you subscribe to neither, well, think about how nice it will be when she comes home and resumes spreading love and more love by being the JudyAustin we all know.

Jürgen

Here This was the beautiful birthday

No way to spend your 55th birthday

2010-09-17T19:02:00.003-05:00

Well, folks, instead of bringing you hoped-for happy news I have to tell you that Judy had to check herself in to Covenant once again tonight. On the eve of her 55th birthday, Dr. Phillips decided that her continuing abdominal cramps and vomiting indicate another partial obstruction of the bowel, and that means back to the hospital. I had left yesterday for Syracuse, and Judy was supposed to be in Palo Duro tomorrow for the TMBRA race—alas, Amarillo got hit big time by remnants of whatver the last hurricane was called, and the race was canceled. And now she's at Covenant, back on the 5th floor. Damn!

I just got off the phone with Alan, who will look in on her tonight in his capacity as attending ID physician. If it weren't for having him (and Martha) as close friends as well as professional sounding boards, I don't know how my head would be able to handle all this.

Once I know more about the expected treatment, etc. I'll post more info. In the meantime, Happy Birthday to my dear Judy tomorrow!

Jürgen

Slowly and, we hope, surely ...

2010-09-10T18:59:00.004-05:00

Well, I'd be lying if I were to say that it was a great week. After getting home Monday evening and a wonderful reunion with Judy, things took another turn for the worse when cramps and nausea made Judy's life damn miserable on Tuesday and Wednesday. She said that the pain was as bad as any since coming back from the hospital, and all I could do was just be there. We have no idea what was/still is wrong. On Wednesday she had an X-ray taken and blood work done: nada. Thankfully, Thursday the tide turned and she started to feel better, and today there were just occasional cramps and no vomiting. You need to understand that she didn't eat anything for the better part of a week, and I am worried about that, obviously. Coaxing her into trying a bite of water melon or the like is just not much fun when you know it's going to be brought back up in a retching fit of nausea.

This cancer thing is just not much fun anymore, and I think it is time to quit. I think, Judy concurs.

As you can see from the pic, times have changed a tiny bit. Today (Friday) Judy felt the best since I've come back from Canada. Susan and the girls came by, and the giggles were big during the Popsicle session. Later, Judy and I went to the mall and bought a few blouses and some pants for Judy to wear at work, reflecting the new physical realities. We walked back after Susan had dropped us off at Dillards. Judy was pleasantly tuckered afterward.

That's where we are right now. Let's hope that things continue to look up.

Jürgen

Many improvements, and I'm going home!

2010-09-05T17:56:00.007-05:00

Usually I don't post photos of myself on Judy's blog, but tonight is different: I just finished my longest officiating stint ever—one week at the Windham World Cup, one week at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Quebec (in the photo I am controlling the tech/feed zone in the cross-country while an Austrian rider comes through and a Russian soigneur waits for her rider), two weeks total—and I am ready to go home to see my sweet wife! I've been in twice- or thrice-daily contact with Judy via Skype, and it seems as if she's on the right trajectory after this menses horribilis that we've lived through.

I am going to leave Mont Sainte-Anne with a 5:45 a.m. shuttle and will board my first flight (of three) at Quebec City shortly after 9 a.m. Man, I'm ready. Two weeks of non-stop cycling competition do have an effect. I can't imagine doing three weeks at the Tour de France, either as a commissaire or a Doping Control Officer. You may think it's all glorious, but there's a lot of grunt work, too. But, then just think: Judy did five weeks in the hospital!

So, let's hope that things will be happy for the days to come (which is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the experience of the past two weeks—but the circumstance could have been better, obviously).

Here's to the future!

Problems still linger

2010-09-01T08:24:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick update on Judy, written while I am at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec: After two great days at home Judy started having cramps (and diarrhea) during the weekend, and things aren't all cleared up yet. Alan did some lab work on her and is treating her with antibiotics, and he is hopeful that this will take care of it. It seems to be an endless roller coaster, but Judy is tough and hanging in there. Even though I obviously find everything here at the race extremely interesting and educational in my development as a commissaire, I am counting the days when I am finally back in Lubbock next Monday.

So long,

Jürgen

Judy is finally back home!

2010-08-26T07:17:00.002-05:00

After exactly five weeks in the hospital, Judy was released yesterday afternoon and she is continuing her recovery at home. I talked to her yesterday right after she made it home, and she was incredibly stoked to be at the house. Emily is staying with her for a few days, and friends and neighbors will be looking in on her while I am here in new York at the World Cup and next week in Quebec at the World Championships.

Thanks for all thse vistis and phone calls while she was at Covenant! You guys were a big, big help!

Jürgen

Thanks to all

2010-08-22T18:28:00.005-05:00

(Judy ate only a bit of this fine pizza pie, but it's a start!)

I am finally getting to think about really going home, and boy am I ready. When the drain in my surgical wound finally slows down (which should be in the next day or so) I have to wait for two more days of antibiotics. I continue to thank each of you for your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes. This has been a difficult journey, but it is made easier with the incredible support I receive from each of you.

Thanks,
Judy

Catheter gone, NG tube out, bag a-fillin'

2010-08-18T07:52:00.002-05:00

The past few days have brought a lot of improvement for Judy. Even though she is still in room 555, things are looking up. Without the catheter and the NG tube, getting in and out of the bed is much easier. Also, Judy has started to consume clear liquids (jello, broth, popsicles), and that in turn is adding to the bowel activity that started a few days ago. She is still in the learning curve regarding the colostomy bag, but there is great help and advice from the nurses. We don't have any idea yet when she can finally leave, but I think we're getting closer.

Dr. Phillips just made his rounds and was happy with Judy's progress, and she will start some more solid foods soon. Stay tuned—Judy is ready to start the real fight, against the damn cancer, soon again.

Jürgen

Every day brings some improvement

2010-08-13T14:06:00.002-05:00

Here we are, three full days after surgery, and Judy is getting better by the day. She manages to get out of the bed, despite all the tubes that still siphon off ugly-looking fluids from various parts of the body. Amazing what medicine can do. But it's still her body (and her spirit) that complete the healing, and that does take time.

In the photo you see her enjoying her "hair wash" during our "shower" session this morning. This shower cap has shampoo and cream rinse in it, and, like those disinfectant fluids, there's no need for rinsing or drying. Pretty cool. She enjoyed the feel of it all, and you see her smile.

We still can't tell too many funny things around her because the tummy still hurts, and she just can't laugh. But things are looking up, and the docs appear happy. The blood infection that she's been carrying for a while now has been identified and the treatment seems to do the trick as the fever is very slight now.

I am running off to Seattle in a few minutes, but we have friends who will drop in on her and stay with her over the weekend. Things look much better than just a few days ago, and we're both OK with the thought (and reality) of the colostomy.

Thank you all for your comments and e-mails, which I have read (and in the case of our German friends) translated to her. You mean so much to her!

Jürgen

24 hours later

2010-08-11T17:21:00.003-05:00

Judy spent a rather good night after yesterday's surgery. She said that my being her made her feel comfortable. In the photo above you see Candice (who arrived this morning) fanning her with the little memento that Emily brought back for Judy from Spain. Judy is still running a slight fever, and one moment she's hot, one moment cold. Dr. Phillips came through in the morning, and he was very positive and upbeat about both the surgery as well as Judy's looks this morning. Obviously, we have a long road ahead of us, but Judy's spirits and attitude were strong today, and even though we can expect more set-backs, we're ready to tackle recovery.

Jürgen

Second surgery

2010-08-10T19:12:00.003-05:00

I wish I could tell you that we're on the way home. Well, not just yet.

Judy developed complications over the past few days, and a scan yesterday revealed some bowel leakage. We assumed that it was the area that Dr. Phillips had bypassed, but, as it turned out, it was an area close to the rectum. Dr. Phillips was totally surprised by this location and ordered a second scan this morning. This afternoon, Judy had her second surgery in two days.

She has successfuly made it through this surgery. I just debriefed with Dr. Phillips, and here's what he found: In the colon area close to the rectum Judy had developed since the first surgery a fairly large abscess, in area at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. There was a tiny tear or hole in the colon, and Dr. Phillips is not sure about the origin—could have been a result of the first operation and all the handling of the bowel, could have been something else. There were no problems with the bypass of the small intestine. Unfortunately, as is pretty much standard procedure in a scenario like this, Dr. Phillips had to perform a colostomy.

We knew going into this surgery today that this was a distinct possibility, and Dr. Phillips told me that he had a long, serious talk with Judy before operating on her. He repeated to me that the true enemy is the cancer, and that that's the big battle. I agree. Chemo made Judy lose her hair, and then it came back, only to be thinned again by chemo. We will adjust to the colostomy, and who knows, once we have gotten rid of the cancer it may be reversed.

Judy is still in recovery, and I know that when she comes back she will want to know what happened. I am not looking forward to having to tell her, but the news will eventually become just another twist in our new reality. We will meet this head-on, and we won't give in. She's my Judy, whatever they have to do with her.

I want to thank Donna S. for being with me in the waiting room this afternoon. Tonight I will be here in the hospital room, and I hope that poor lil' ol' Jude is not going to be in too much pain and misery. Tomorrow morning, Candice will come up from Midland for the day, and I am sure that her presence will help Judy heal physically and psychologically.

Jürgen

Another weekend in the hospital

2010-08-07T17:20:00.004-05:00

It would have been much nicer to be at home and enjoy one of the last "free" weekends of the summer with a mojito and the smell of BBQ, but instead we're here in room 555, with still no real estimate on when Judy may come home.

The past three days have seen ups and downs. Yesterday was a really crappy day when first the damn NG tube came loose and slipped out and Judy later had to deal with a blood transfusion. Fortunately, her bowels have started to work (barely) enough so that the NG tube did not have to be re-inserted, but she battled nausea all day because the bile was just building up and that poor lil' ol' colon of hers could barely keep up. The blood transfusion caused Judy some tremendous pain: Since she is still on the liquid nutrition (TPN), which is routed through her port (together with the regular IV), the blood transfusion went through a vein in her left hand. Judging from her silent suffering, it must have been bloody painful, and after an hour and a half of very slow flow she couldn't take the pain any longer. The nurse then decided to suspend the TPN and continue the transfusion through the port, and that was a huge relief. Judy described the pain as a constant 8.5 on the 10 scale. And we all know she's a tough cookie. It was pretty gruesome sitting there with her for those 90 minutes.

Today things were much better, at least initially. The nausea was mostly gone in the morning. Unfortunately, Judy has been running a fever that has been going up and down, as high as 101.7. She had a chest X-ray and a urinalysis, but we haven't heard anything about the results. We're just hoping that we don't get into another infection situation as we did after her surgery in 2008. Oh man, that'd be pretty devastating, and Alan is still on vacation.

Judy is now allowed to consume liquids, including popsicles. But she has to be careful about the nausea, so it's all a balancing act. (The nurse just took her temperature, and we're a bit down at exactly 101.) Also, the staples that were keeping her very well-healed incision together were removed this morning.

As you can see from the picture, some beautiful flowers have arrived here at the hospital. Yesterday, a huge arrangement was delivered, coming from our friends at TMBRA, the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association. The other, very beautiful arrangement came from the Amarillo-based parents of our neighbor across the street, Megan. Thank you so much, folks! There have been other arrangements and gifts over these past two weeks, and we want to thank all of you who have thought of Judy and brightened her hospital room and spirits.

So, the situation on this hot Saturday afternoon here in Lubbock is better than a few days ago. Things are getting better. But overall, it's a bit like the Dow Jones: There are those positive days, and then there are those losses that wipe out a bunch of capital; and then there are gains again. Overall, the trend is up, and we can't let the micro movements get too much to us.

So, let's see whether we can get the fever under control, cut out the nausea, and start consuming more and more "real" nourishment. Let's hope that the day when Judy can go home comes soon.

Jürgen

Nausea, NG tubes, and friends

2010-08-04T22:06:00.004-05:00

Cancer is not a good thing, and cancer surgery isn't a walk in the park. Here we are, six days after Doc Phillips gave Judy another "tummy tuck," and the bowels still haven't woken up. It was rough day for Judy, who battled nausea most of the time. The damn NG tube sometimes works, and sometimes it just doesn't seem to be doing what it's supposed to do. (Kinda like some of the nurses....) As a result, that green bile accumulates and Judy feels like throwing it up—or she does.

The incision looks great—clean, no visual hint of infection, and apparently healing up a storm. Judy has a much easier time getting in and out of the bed, but the nausea is a constant that keeps her from being more active. We walked this afternoon on the oncology floor, but it sure was a struggle.

So, what makes it all bearable? The friends. Some live close-by and can make it to the hospital, just like Liz does every day. She is a tremendous comfort to Judy, and to me as well: I can leave for a while to do some of the stuff that needs to be taken care of. Our neighbor Irene stopped by today, despite the pain that any hospital visit must cause her. There were Mark, and Carol, and Jody with her dad, John. Sandi in Dallas would be here if she could, and there all those other well-wishers who post on the blog, e-mail, or leave a phone message. If I omitted someone, please forgive.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Cath's (yep, the one from Colorado's CJ Timing) e-mail today, letting us know that during this year's Tour de France her friends Judy and Cindy were remembered and showcased in a message on one of the roads where the peloton passed by:

And this is the location where this message was written on the pavement—coincidentally on the same route that Judy and I went on back in 1990 when we rode our tandem through France and Italy during Le Tour:

Thanks, Cath, for doing this for Judy. It brought tears to her eyes when I showed her your message!

Jürgen

I am doing well

2010-08-03T10:03:00.002-05:00

Jürgen does such a good job keeping up with the blog, but it was my turn to thank each of you for you love and concern. I appreciate each of you so much. I am feeling better. I slept well last night. I plan to walk very soon this morning. Pain management is much better.

Thanks again for caring about me.

Judy

The weekend update

2010-08-01T07:45:00.002-05:00

Last night, after finally getting done with everything related to the Steelhead 70.3 triathlon for which I was the Head Referee (with a fabulous crew!), I called Judy one final time for the day. Progress has been slow, but there is progress, and from talking to Candice there's much more positive than negative. For the first time after surgery, Judy sat up yesterday and even walked to the door, pretty much exhausting her. The pain management seems to be better, too, with those spasm/cramp-like pains having been targeted by some sort of muscle relaxant. She still has a catheter because using a bed pan would not work too well yet, but let's hope that this will go in the next day or two as she progresses. The NG tube is still in place as the bowels haven't totally awakened yet.

Judy sounded tired but OK. We talked several times yesterday, and obviously we can't wait for me to get back to Lubbock late this afternoon. Her friend Lorane made it in from NM, which was a happy surprise for Judy as Lorane was not going to arrive until Sunday.

I haven't spoken to Judy this morning yet—the fact that Candi has turned off her cell phone (it's about 8:00 a.m.) is IMO a good sign since that the two are getting solid rest. After the last few days of little sleep, I, too, was able to get a healthy dose of zzzzs last night, and my final drive from Portage, IN (where I spent the night) to the O'Hare airport shouldn't be too bad.

More when I have another update.

Jürgen

Judy on the mend

2010-07-30T07:39:00.002-05:00

A quick Friday morning update: Judy had some early problems last night with pain management but seems to be fairing much better now. I just talked to Candice, who spent the night with her in the hospital, and I talked to Judy as well, who sounded really good. Judy's output through the NG tube is minimal, which would indicate that "stuff" moves through her bowels. She's allowed to have some ice chips--little things, but they all make things look positive. Let's hope that by the time I get back to Lubbock on Sunday she's off the tube and her bowels have started to take over.

Jürgen

Surgery appears to be successful!

2010-07-29T19:24:00.004-05:00

I just got the word from Judy's sis-in-law that it appears that this afternoon's surgery was successful! Candice (in the above photo with Judy pre-op) said that Judy was for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours in surgery this afternoon. According to her surgeon and oncologist, Dr. Phillips, there were various "adhesions" and scar tissue in the area of her small intestine. According to what I was told, Dr. Phillips bypassed some of these sections of bowel, deciding to keep them in place to help in the absorption of nutrition but also making it possible for digesting materials to pass through. I haven't seen the diagram that he drew, nor am I totally sure what exactly he did, but one thing is for sure: Judy apparently didn't lose too much blood (he didn't mention a transfusion), she is NOT in ICU but will return to her room, the doc said that she appeared to fare well during surgery, and probably one of the most dreaded things didn't happen: She will no wake up with a colostomy bag. That possibility was brought to the forefront yesterday when she signed her consent forms. So no, NO colostomy!

I am updating the blog from the Admiral's club in DFW, on the way to Chicago. Let me plug American Airlines really, really big here: The staff in Lubbock refunded Judy's ticket not only for today but also for the trip to Seattle in two weeks, without the customary fees! And not only that, they changed my return from Chicago from Monday to Sunday, no fees or hassles. I tell you, that's customer service, and that's why we've been flying this airline for more than 25 years! In a time of such great stress they did everything they could to minimize our troubles. Thanks, AA!

And thanks to Candice and Becky O., who made me feel comfortable today while waiting with Judy in the hospital for her to be wheeled into the OR. I can't express how much I appreciate their understanding and support and help.

I may or may not update once again tonight, once I get to the hotel in Chicago. To all of Judy's friends and supporters out there: Please send whatever it is that you are good at sending--thoughts, prayers, vibes, mainly love.

Jürgen

Surgery on Thursday

2010-07-28T17:47:00.002-05:00

We just got the word that Judy will undergo exploratory surgery to remove possible adhesions in the small intestine. Dr. Phillips will do the surgery, most likely late in the afternoon since there are several more scheduled surgeries ahead of her.

Please keep Judy in your thoughts and prayers and wish her an "easy" surgery tomorrow and a quick recovery.

I will try to post updates when possible.

Jürgen

Up and down, obstructed and not, surgery or go home?

2010-07-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

Those are the questions that keep swirling. The past few days have brought with them positives and negatives, and we're still in limbo in regard to what will happen.

As of this morning, Dr. Phillips still held out hope that the bowel obstruction (which on Sunday appeared to have been resolved but which then re-appeared and was confirmed by some major scans yesterday) will dissipate. However, he also made clear that if surgery were needed (which he really is not keen on), he will be able to do so pretty much at a moment's notice. By Friday morning, it seems, we should know which direction we are heading.

This morning, Judy's NG tube was clamped off to see how she would fare. She's walked around, and we're hoping that the bowels will show more activity than just the faint gurgling that has been detected.

The fact that I have to leave town tomorrow to be the Head Referee for the Steelhead 70.3 Ironman triathlon in benton Harbor, MI, is not helping. However, if it does come to surgery, Judy's sister-in-law Candice will come to Lubbock on short notice. At least I'll be back on Monday.... Let's hope for the best. Maybe surgery will not be needed, after all, and Judy can go home this weekend.

I will update the blog as needed, of course.

Jürgen

Still hospitalized, but things are improving

2010-07-26T11:32:00.002-05:00

After a long weekend at Covenant, Judy is starting to feel better. The very good news is that the bowel obstruction, according to the last scan, has dissipated and surgery no longer appears on the radar—we had been really worried about that prospect. The NG tube, which removes all that nasty, green slimy stuff that forms in the stomach and that later gets passed on to the intestines, apparently did the trick, as did her being on an IV and not receiving any food.

Dr. Phillips came through this morning, and he appears satisfied. Tomorrow's scheduled chemo will be postponed by a week. The immediate prospect calls for removal of the NG tube today (Monday) and then getting her back to using solid foods. She may be released from the hospital on Tuesday, but I think it will more likely be Wednesday.

Judy's spirits remain positive and up-beat, but of course there were a few bummed-out moments. I know she's ready to come home, but with her the big danger is always that she overdoes things. And since I will be traveling to Michigan this weekend by myself, there won't be anyone to make sure that she rests and takes it easy. Well, maybe for once she will be a good patient!

Jürgen

Quick hospital update

2010-07-23T21:49:00.002-05:00

Judy has spent the past 24 hours in the hospital. We're hopeful that we may not face surgery for the bowel obstruction. At this point, she is hooked up to an IV, and an NG tube is supposed to take relieve the stomach and whatever it produces. The idea is to let her bowels rest, settle down, and start working again to clear out whatever is sitting in there. Let's hope it is as simple as that. Dr. Phillips saw her today and was quite positive; however, he only rolled his eyes when Judy asked whether she could travel with me next week to Michigan for the Steelhead 70.3. Oh well, she wouldn't be Judy if she didn't ask, right?

Her spirits are OK, and if you want to give her a buzz, the direct line to her room is 806-725-7555.

Jürgen

After a good Vineman, we're back in the hospital

2010-07-22T18:30:00.012-05:00

There are the good times, and then there are the less-good ones.

Before things started to go a bit south, Judy and I spent a long weekend in the Bay area and the California Wine Country, working once again one of our very, very favorite races: the Vineman 70.3. The flight out and our first night in Berkeley were marred by Judy's feeling very nauseated and just down-and-out. All that changed after a good night's rest, but we knew something was up when we learned Friday that Judy's CA-125 had more than doubled from 101 to 216 in the course of three weeks. Saturday and Sunday for the race Judy felt perfectly fine, and we thought that some of the recent bowel problems were finally nipped. Judy was in charge of the Pro Women's field on Sunday, and she did her usual great job. She later worked the transition zone and even helped out at the awards ceremony, and you wouldn't have known that this is a woman who has been butting heads with cancer for almost two years now.

Monday afternoon, on the way back to San Jose, she started to once again feel constipated and bloated, and Tuesday's flight home was only made easier because we were upgraded. We had arranged for Judy to have a CT scan on Thursday morning (today), a good thing since Wednesday she had a rough day at work and a really rough evening and night.

Just a short while after today's scan she was told that she'd be admitted to Covenant Lakeside this afternoon because of an "obstruction" that the scan revealed. Being the Judy that she is, she first finished another full day at work before we checked in at 6 p.m. Right now the charge nurse is taking up a lot of info, and we will see what the doc has to say tomorrow morning.

Until then, enjoy the pictures from our trip to California. The one below shows her with race director Russ' father, Jim, at the awards. The other pics were taken at Armstrong State Park, among her beloved Redwoods.

Jürgen

July 4th and World Cup celebrations

2010-07-12T11:46:00.004-05:00

Time flies when one is "retired".... The above photo shows us with Emily (plus Alan and mother-in-law Martha senior in the background) on July 4. Alan's neighbor puts on an absolutely incredible fireworks show (lasting about an hour!!!), and the rains stopped just long enough here in Lubbock for us to enjoy the pyrotechnics. Judy was just oohing and aahing—it was truly amazing.

With Lubbock experiencing its wettest July ever it's been a real challenge to ride and engage in other outdoor activities. But yesterday we were spared the downpour, and our Sunday ride ended up at the house just in time for the World Cup Soccer Final. Judy, every the party-lady, had been unsuccessful in locating much-desired vuvuzuelas for us, but in the spirit of the game she did manage to find those cute little soccer-inspired beer cozies for us at the local Dollar Tree. She's a woman of many resources, not the least of which was spoiling Alan, Carl, and me with the best muffaletta this side of New Orleans!

Jürgen

Back from Albuquerque; CA-125 steady

2010-06-24T16:10:00.005-05:00

With a few days' delay, here are a two pictures from last weekend's trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Judy, Emily, and I left Lubbock on Friday morning and made the 300+ mile drive from Lubbock. We hooked up with Alan and Martha, who drove in as well, and on Saturday we went up to Sandia Peak where we hiked in the cool air and enjoyed the tremendous vistas of Albuquerque some 2,000 feet below. Emily experienced her first-ever picnic after our hike!

Alan and I enjoyed the beer at Kelly's, Il Vicino's, and Marble Brewing (and I for my part had a chance to visit the rather new Hallenbrick Brewery and Vicino's taproom on Friday, before A&M showed up). Albuquerque is definitely a hop-head's paradise!

A few days earlier we had received word that Judy's CA-125 has been holding essentially steady over the past four weeks, dropping from 103 to 101. Maybe after this current round of chemo it will finally drop into the double digits!

For this weekend we're planning nothing but the Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs here in Lubbock, where I will offer my services as bike mechanic during the expo on Friday and Saturday and then put on the head referee's shirt for the race on Sunday; Judy, of course, will referee as well. The temperatures are supposed to be soaring again, just as they have been over the past few weeks—mid to high 90s. Uff!

Jürgen

The Monkey Cake

2010-06-17T21:17:00.003-05:00

So here it is, unveiled two days before little Allie's birthday: the Monkey Cake that she wanted her JuJu to make for her!

Two-year-old Allie most likely is not going to surf the 'net before her party on Saturday (which we will miss because of a little bit of R&R in Albuquerque), and I'd think that her parents, Wes and Susan, won't let the monkeys out of the sack, either.

Judy loves making these cakes, and every time she spends untold hours on one I am just absolutely amazed by her talent. She worked on the icing-based monkeys for an evening or two, baked the cake this morning before work, and then iced and decorated it all after a full day at MHMR. Now it's 9:30 p.m., and we haven't even started dinner yet. But she knows that Allie will be tickled, and that's all she needs to make it through another tough day.

And Noah, just in case you see the picture, you'll be pleased that your very boy-like fashion advice of two blue candles was followed. (Of course, you also suggested that all the balloons and all the party hats be blue as well, but that seemed just a bit too, well, blue. To be four again....)

Jürgen

A week off from chemo

2010-06-08T16:08:00.005-05:00

After three straight weeks of treatments, Judy is off this week. Yeah!

The photo above came from our good old friend Lee in Dallas, who used to coach Judy during her racing days and whom we see once or twice a year either in Las Vegas when we all room together at Interbike or when a race takes us to the metroplex and we have a chance to catch up. Lee, who is still one bad dude on a racing bike, decided to put this decal on his new team bike. As he wrote in his e-mail to us: "She has given me the inspiration these past couple of years, hence the pink computer that I ride, and now I thought I would share with people who it is for!"

Needless to say, Judy got all teary-eyed when she read Lee's sweet words.

On another note, I'm finally back home for a while. Last week, right after Memorial Day, I had once again flown to Quebec, where I completed my Doping Control training for the UCI. (The picture below show me with my instructor, Louise L. from Montreal.) I made it home late last night. It was a very interesting trip, and I hope that my performance was satisfactory. For once I could make good use of my languages as in one day I conducted four doping controls in four languages. Now, that's what I call fun!

Jürgen

What a great Memorial Day weekend

2010-06-01T08:25:00.005-05:00

Judy and I spent our Memorial Day weekend down south, first as part of the officiating crew for the UCI portion of the Mellow Johnnys mountain bike race, and then with part of Judy's family at a private lake close to San Saba.

Our time at the lake was definitely more memorable than the race. Judy had a chance to hold her little grand-nephews (or whatever Conner and Leslie's twin boys are in the genealogical order--she's holding Carson in the above pic), catch up with Mike and Candice, get good laughs from Mark and Anne's one-liners, and enjoy the companionship of long-time family friends Gary, Debbie, and Travis. Throw in a bit of kayaking on the lake and a lot of relaxing (even if we stayed for only 36 hours), and it was a great weekend.

Right now I am off for a week to Quebec (again) for anti-doping, and Judy is enduring another chemo treatment. Enjoy the pics as they show why we go through all this.

Jürgen

CA-125 continues to slowly drop

2010-05-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

This week's good news was that Judy's cancer markers continue their slow downward trend. After only two treatments this time (because of our trip to Jamaica) the CA-125 went from 114 to 103--or about a 10% drop. Let's hope that the next treatment cycle of three doses will give us another boost. The two treatment dates in this round that remain are on May 25 and June 1, and then Judy will have another one-week break.

Back from Jamaica

2010-05-11T21:05:00.005-05:00

How fast vacations pass by! It seems just like yesterday that we left for Montego Bay, and already we're back. We enjoyed four days and nights at the Secrets St. James, an all-inclusive, all-adult (no rug rats screaming in the pool!) resort that is on the luxurious side. We didn't do much else but sit on the beach, take naps, drink quite a few foo-foo drinks, and enjoy the various on-site specialty restaurants that were not of the buffet style that most resorts offer but rather put emphasis on beautifully presented quality dishes. For folks our age who—let's face it—simply don't consume the same amount of food as a 20-year-old, this is definitely the way to go.

The St. James and its sister resort, the Wild Orchid, have been open for less than two months, and the property had some birthing problems that threw a few curve balls into the promised "all-luxury" experience. So, the advertised 5 stars were somewhat reduced. I had a long, frank talk with management, and to make a long story short, we will go back sometime this fall to make up for some (or all?) of the problems that we encountered—on the house. So, when you see another blog entry in September or October or whenever, please don't think we won the lottery—we just provided positive feedback and were dealing with a class-act manager who has quite some challenges on his hands opening this property.

Anyhow, we had a darn fine time, and I am sure the next time around it will not just be great the way it was but perfect, the way it was supposed to be this time around.

Jürgen

After chemo, go to Jamaica ...

2010-05-04T21:47:00.005-05:00

While Judy had another round of chemo today, I was down at TTU for my last day of classes for the semester—and forever! Yes, this is it (RETIREMENT!), and Judy commemorated it for me with this telling note that she left for me to find when I got home.

After 26 years of teaching I have decided to call it quits. I doubt that I will miss grading those papers and running my head into a brick wall semester after semester. Suffice it to say that I think that I have done my share to have some positive impact, and now I'm done. My bosses and colleagues were true class acts throughout the years, but my students only seldom were.

What a relief to be done with it!

Tomorrow afternoon we'll jet down to Jamaica for a quick 4-night R&R for lil' Judy, who's ready to lie in the sun and warm up the bones. She's the hard worker in the family, not I—at least no longer. :)

Jürgen

CA-125 on the way down, once again

2010-04-29T11:15:00.002-05:00

This morning we received excellent news from Dr. P's office. After four weekly mini-rounds of chemo and a week off, Judy's CA-125 dropped from 140 in late March to 114 on Tuesday. Of course, we hope that this trend will continue. Judy is scheduled for another mini-chemo next Tuesday before we go on our mini-vacation to Jamaica. She'll be off the following week before going to three-weeks-on, one-week-off.

We had an inkling that things were working with the current mixture of poisons as Judy's hair has once again started to fall out. The photo of Judy and Alan shows how "light" her hair has become, and next week we may have to go back to the all-bald look.

Jürgen

Back from New Orleans

2010-04-22T10:45:00.007-05:00

Judy and I made it back from New Orleans Monday night and have been busy with work since. We had a great time with all the race action, super volunteers, and attentive race management. Here are a few pics, courtesy of Lucas Barrios.

The first one was taken at the VIP Party that PEM threw on Friday night. Pictured with us is my motorcycle driver, Brian.

The next one shows Judy instructing the motorcycle drivers while Wanda and Gail, two of our referees, look on.

Once again back in New Orleans

2010-04-16T23:18:00.005-05:00

For the second year in a row, Judy and I are working the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans half-Ironman triathlon this weekend. We arrived very late last night (OK, early this morning). We're tickled to work with some of the best in the triathlon business, with Bill as race director, Ashley as the person who runs it ALL, Dave who is the very best professional announcr in all of triathlon, Adam and Roberto making sure that transition is tight, Carl keeping the water crew in check, Brian and Phil taking care of the motos, and Scott being the ace timing dude that he is.

After PEM's fabulous VIP party at Le Phare, Judy and I strolled down Bourbon Street, and you see the spoils: That woman is shameless when it comes to begging for beads!

Tomorrow (Saturday) will bring more meetings and indoctrinations (refs and penalty tent volunteers) and an early bedtime since Sunday morning looms ominously with a 4:45 a.m. opening of transition. Still, it's fun to be head ref!!!

Jürgen

A new record?

2010-04-14T09:30:00.005-05:00

When Judy had her fourth chemo treatment in four weeks yesterday morning, Dr. P.'s office staff opined that they had never had anyone get four back-to-back treatments. Oh well, who thought Judy was normal, eh? Since we will be in New Orleans this upcoming Monday and Judy will not be able to get labwork done--making chemo on Tuesday impossible--Dr. Phillips though it better to go with a four week on, one week off cycle than to have two weeks off. We'll see.

Last weekend we were in Ft. Davis, in Texas' beautiful Davis Mountains, to help officiate the Hammerfest road stage race. (The photo above shows Judy before the time trial with race director David from Midland; below, Judy and Kelly wait for racers at the turnaround of the TT.) We hadn't been down there in several years because the date always overlapped with a mountain bike race, but this year we were free. The weather was beautiful, and as "Indians" rather than "Chiefs" we had a relaxed weekend, without the usual worries when one of us is in charge of the crew.

That will change this weekend when I'll be chief for the New Orleans 70.3 half-Ironman triathlon, which last year attracted somewhere around 3,000 racers from all over the US and abroad. We will be in NO from Friday through Monday, and I am sure there will be the usual challenges. However, working with a great race director, Bill, and his right-hand help, Ashley, plus six well-trained referees will make my task much easier--and in Judy I have about the best assistant I can ask for.

Look for an update next week.

Jürgen

2010-04-06T21:39:00.004-05:00

Might as well have some fun with the blog for once, despite another round of chemo today. Look at that ham: Can you smell it? Can you taste it? This baby was in the backyard smoker for hours on end, and it was just perfect.

Judy and I had a nice Easter weekend at home, and the ham dinner on Sunday night—polished off with some good Cameron Hughes wine—was the fitting finale. Of course, a huge ham like this is not eaten in one sitting, and now we (=mainly I) enjoy smoked ham sandwiches. Yummy!

Otherwise, life's rolling right along. Judy stays busy at work, I've taken on yet another freelance job (it's about time that I get done with Tech!), and next weekend we'll be in Ft. Davis to help officiate one of Texas' most spectacular road races. The treatments that Judy has to endure are no source of great enjoyment, but she never complains. Right now she is enjoying some knitting-cum-television time while I have been mopping up odds and ends.

You won't hear either one of us complain—especially as long as there's some ham left in the fridge!

Jürgen

Easter is almost here

2010-03-29T11:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Judy and her little friend Nicole did a little bit of prep work to make sure that the Easter Bunny is going to find its way to Nicole's place. The two worked quite diligently on coloring eggs and decorating the pictured Easter tree that will adorn Nicole's bedroom. I guess I should have found a better background for the photo than one of our trees in the backyard, but you get the drift.

It was a good weekend for Judy, who spent Friday and Saturday nights in Midland with Candice, Alli, and Griffin. When she came back yesterday, first she was "crafty" with Nicole and then Lorane came over to knit and enjoy a cup of tea. Ah, the ladies are so civilized!

Spring finally seems to have arrived, and we're looking forward to a good week.

Jürgen

Encouraging News Before the Weekend

2010-03-26T15:35:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let all of you know that Judy's CA-125 decreased a tiny bit from 142 to 140 between her last regular chemo five weeks ago and this week's start of the new regimen.

We had expected the cancer markers to start soaring since the treatment seemed to have lost its punch and the interval was so long--a full five weeks. The fact that everything esssentially stayed stable is really encouraging to us.

Let's see what this new treatment is going to do and whether we can get a better hold on that damn old cancer.

Jürgen

Tuesday's Chemo OK

2010-03-24T10:27:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update after the first of the new round of chemo treatments yesterday: It took about an hour and a half to administer the new meds, and Judy said that apart from a little queasiness for a short while she felt OK. Apparently, the pace of the chemo was a bit on the slower side than what she can expect in the future, just to make sure she was OK.

So, we'll see how this new approach is going to work out; next week Tuesday will be the next treatment. Of course, Judy is at work and doing everything that she has been doing pretty much ever since all these treatments started. This was her 16th chemo, and who knows how many more there will be. Let's hope that the third round proves to be the magic bullet.

Jürgen

New Chemo Delayed By One Week

2010-03-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

Just in case you were wondering how the first of Judy's "mini" chemos came along this Tuesday, well, it didn't. The approval from the insurance did not come until Monday, too late for Dr. Phillips' office to order the drugs. So, the start of this new treatment has been postponed until next Tuesday. The good thing is that we have insurance approval.

Meanwhile, Judy keeps plugging along. I was in Switzerland and Germany for the past week and returned home just last night. It sure feels good to be back home and be with Judy!

Jürgen

A change in strategy

2010-03-09T14:13:00.002-06:00

The CAT scan results are in, and it looks as if the cancer continues to rear its ugly head. Without going into too much detail (which, quite frankly, I don't have since we have not seen the report proper), the almost-two major rounds of chemo have not delivered the knock-out punch that we all had been looking for.

Thus, Dr. Phillips is changing his strategy and wants to go with another round of chemo; however, instead of delivering one massive treatment every three to four weeks (which especially in the first round hit the cancer hard but also kicked Judy's blood levels very, very significantly) he wants to administer a much smaller dosis on a weekly basis. The new schedule would be three weeks on, one week off, three weeks on, etc. Right now we're waiting for approval by the insurance since the overall cost appears to be even higher than the treatment so far. (All of you out there: Don't even think of going through life without health insurance! We'd be broke forever, without hope to ever dig ourselves out of the financial hole that such a diesease will dig for those without insurance.)

Most likely, Judy will have the first of these "mini" chemos next Tuesday. Let's see whether this is finally going to do it. If you're from the US, keep your fingers crossed, and if you're German, press the thumbs until they hurt!

Jürgen

A new kid-sized stent for Judy

2010-03-02T15:18:00.006-06:00

Well, Judy just made it home from the hospital, and she's grinning because she received a "Junior stent." In this morning's procedure, Dr. Aronoff installed a smaller stent in her ureter than the first time around. She already is saying that it feels more comfortable than the first one. Maybe some of the discomfort with the first one had to do with the size. Anyhow, the doc said that the first stent did not show too much calcification, and this new one may last as long as 9 months. Now, that'd be a relief!

Lorane sat with Judy while I went through my teaching moves at Tech. I blew off my office hours, and when I arrived at the hospital a few minutes after 2 p.m. Judy was about to be discharged. And now, at 3:30 p.m., the two ladies are having a civilized cup of tea.

On a completely different note, our weekend was anything but relaxing. Friday night we worked the early registration for the Texas Tech Omnium bike race, and on Saturday we put in a 12-hour day with two different races. The photo (courtesy of Derek O.) shows Judy starting the time trial. Yep, those kids had built a real TT ramp! Tim R. is the holder, and Karen T. looks on. Judy felt like crap, coming down with some respiratory crap (which now seems to be hitting me). Sunday was another tough one with the wind blowing at times up to 25 to 30 mph, but it all came off OK. The Tech kids did a very, very nice job, and the WTCA volunteers who came out seemed to have fun, too.

So, let's hope that Judy will take well to the stent and that we can get some rest in the next few days.

Jürgen

Paris was a hoot with Mike and Candi

2010-02-24T14:18:00.005-06:00

This post is long overdue, but there are always so many things that need to be done, and updating the blog sometimes has to take a backseat.

Monday evening Judy and I returned from a long weekend trip to Paris with Judy's brother, Mike, and his wife, Candi. The two had never been and had asked us whether we'd mind playing tour guides. Since we make almost annual pilgrimages to the French capital, we jumped on the opportunity to show them the city that we love so much. Last year it had been Emily who was our protegée, and this time it was the in-laws.

We had a truly great time. The Paris museum pass must be one of the greatest buys of all time, and we saw lots and lots of different things. The weather cooperated so that we were able to have our traditional picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens, and in the evenings we had some outstanding meals, courtesy of Mike and Candice.

Judy was in much better shape this year than last, when she had spent more than half the time in the hotel with a bad case of bronchitis. This year she was as spunky as ever, and her energy level was 200% higher than last year.

Unfortunately, these cool trips always end much too quickly, but we took with us great memories. I am sure that Mike and Candi won't forget this vacation for a long time.

The upcoming days will bring more medical stuff for Judy (next Tuesday the stent will be changed, and there will be another CAT scan) as well as a local road race this weekend: The Texas Tech Cycling Team will host a two-day stage race, and we will be the Chief Referee and Chief Judge.

A bientôt,

Jürgen

(A slightly belated) Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T07:16:00.008-06:00

I meant to write this several days ago but time, once again, slipped away. We hope that you had as nice of a Valentine's weekend as we did. On Saturday night, Wayne, Lorane, Judy, and I had a beautifully relaxed prime rib dinner at our friends' house. See for yourselves how beautiful it all looked.

On Sunday, Judy and I had a little more celebration going, and we exchanged a few gifts. Here I had been married to her for 20+ years and had just found out that she really, REALLY wanted one of those heart-shaped Russell Stover candy arrays. For once, I came through!

On the medical front, things were a little less great. After enduring chemo #15 last Tuesday Judy learned on Thursday that her CA-125 once again is on the rise. Major bummer after the good news following the last few rounds of chemo. We are at the end of this chemo cycle, and we will see how Dr. Phillips will adjust the treatment.

This week will be an exciting one: On Wednesday we will meet up in DFW with Judy's brother Mike and sis-in-law Candice—and then continue together to Paris! Mike and Candi have never been, and we love to play tour guides. Last year, when we took Emily for her graduation trip to Paris, Judy had physically a lousy time, so she is really looking forward to being able to enjoy this trip much more. I will try to update the blog in the next few days, from Paris.

Jürgen

January is almost behind us ...

2010-01-26T22:01:00.003-06:00

... and life is rolling on in its more-or-less usual way. Judy is in between chemo treatments and doing rather well. I am four teaching days into the spring semester, and I am doing really fine, considering that only 26 more are left to go. :) So, what did the two of us do last weekend, feeling so good? Well, you guess. The pictures may give you a hint.

CA-125 holding steady

2010-01-15T10:04:00.002-06:00

This morning, Judy saw Dr. Phillips after undergoing chemo #14 on Tuesday. Her CA-125 dropped by 2 points over the past five weeks, to 74, essentially the same as last time. Obviously, we would have been more excited about a significant drop, but this is certainly better than a rise. As long as the downward trend continues, we won't complain.

After coming back from Europe late last Sunday, Judy has been at work again and I started the new semester at TTU yesterday. This weekend is my 54th birthday, so once again I'll be caught up with Judy age-wise. :) As has been tradition, Wayne and Lorane will join us for dinner, and since Emily won't start back up at Tarleton until Tuesday she'll join us.

A bigger drop in the CA-125 would have been a nice birthday present....

Jürgen

Judy munches a Wienerschnitzel

2010-01-07T06:37:00.003-06:00

Judy and I are waiting for our flight back from Vienna to Berlin. we had two nice days in the Austrian capital, despite cold, snowy conditions. Last night we went a restaurant famous for its Wienerschnitzel. what you see on Judy's plate is only HALF of one of those monstrosities. Thankfully we had enough foresight to share one of those breaded, then baked veal cutlets. It was a yummy meal.

Earlier in the day we had visited the Schloss Schoenbrunn where we saw the royal chambers of the Habsburg dynasty. With a tram and metro transportation pass we were able to criss-cross Vienna and warm up in between stops.

Walking around in the evening we saw the famous Fiakers, horse-drawn carriages. Well, we had to think of our buggy ride with Carl just a few weeks ago.

We will spend another two days in Berlin before flying home on Sunday. Bis dann,

Jürgen

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:22:00.003-06:00

Well, here we are: Christmas is done and over, and another year (and decade) is looming. We both hope that the future will bring lots of joys and happiness to your lives. We all know that there are ups and downs, and we have only limited control over when the peaks arrive and when the potholes open up. Try to do the right things, remember the fleeting nature of time, and live life to its fullest--whatever that may mean for you personally.

We will celebrate New Year's Eve with our friends Wayne and Lorane. Emily decided that she is ready for an adult party (no worries, she'll be our Designated Driver). So, the five of us will whoop it up tonight. It's beyond me how Em can hang with old, boring fogies such as us.

Tomorrow (New Year's Day) around noon Judy and I will leave for Berlin. My dad is really looking forward to seeing her--it's been about two years. It'll be interesting how much extra inconvenience will be built into our flight experience thanks to the nutball coming from A'dam. Still, the flight should be A-OK as our upgrades into Business cleared a long time ago.

For 2010, I'm planning to keep you updated on how things are progressing for Judy, with a bit of our everyday life thrown into the mix of medical news. Enjoy the party, wake up without a major headache, and do everything in 2010 that you have always wanted to do!

Here's a sip of the bubbly to all of you,

Jürgen & Judy

Merry Christmas To All Of You!

2009-12-23T18:40:00.008-06:00

Christmas came early for Judy last weekend in the form of a buggy ride through the Texas Tech Carol of Lights. My bike-buddy Carl owns 21-year-old Ashes and is currently storing a friend's authentic Amish buggy replica, and together we had hatched the idea to load up the wives and go for a ride. For those of you who don't know what the Carol of Lights is: A large number of buildings on the TTU campus are illuminated with thousands of Christmas lights, and it is truly a beautiful sight.

Judy had no idea what surprise was in store for her, and she was completely floored. She fell in love with Ashes, and plans already have been made for Judy to ride her sometime this spring or summer. Carl and his wife, Terri, had the buggy all prepared when we arrived at our meeting point, and on a beautifully mild and calm Sunday evening we cruised the campus, nice and slow, taking the occasional sip of Jägermeister.

It's been a while that I have seen Judy so happy and totally enchanted by something. For Carl and me, it was the best Christmas present ever. Afterward, the four of us had dinner at the house (nothing fancy, because of the secrecy of the plan) and shared a few beers. It was a wonderful evening, and we can't thank Carl and Terri enough for going through the trouble of bringing Ashes and the buggy to town.

Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, Judy and I will launch out early to drive the six or so hours to the Burnett/Marble Falls area to celebrate with her family. The presents are all wrapped, the food that we have to take is prepared, and the truck is packed. It is finally time to relax and start looking forward to the Holiday.

Merry Christmas to all of you! May it be the best one ever! With all our love,

Jürgen and Judy

Stent procedure successful

2009-12-22T21:59:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to briefly update y'all that today's procedure at Covenant was successful. It took Dr. A. about 20 minutes or so to place the stent in Judy's left urethra. As he said afterward, it was a good thing that we had decided to go ahead with the procedure instead of waiting for things to develop. He found out that things were obstructed quite significantly and that the stent will help. Judy's recovery from the surgery was quick and relatively painless, and apart from being a bit bushed this afternoon (well hell, they made her so drunk that they could do this type of invasive thing!) she was her usual self. The only bummer is that in Dr. A.'s opinion she will have to have a fresh stent every 2 1/2 to 3 months--but that still beats the alternatives that would come with a sickened kidney.

This evening Emily came over, and the three of us had our little Christmas celebration. Emily was the proud recipient of one of Judy's home-made tied blankets, and we had to immediately try it out--see the photo to the right.

Before we take off for Marble Falls to be with Judy's family I will post one more short update with a photo that you will not want to miss.

Jürgen

CA-125 down, California great, stent next week

2009-12-16T08:58:00.007-06:00

Well, this post's title pretty much sums it all up. Of course, I could have added that Judy, the cookie-making-machine, is running on all cylinders.

I apologize for not posting earlier the good news that we received late last week that Judy's CA-125 has significantly dropped since the last chemo, from 132 to 78. We received the news two days after her last chemo, last Tuesday. So, it appears that the new drugs are doing the trick. Obviously we're elated. Her new nausea patch has also been a godsend in that the usual complications in that area have been significantly reduced.

A bit of a downer is the fact that next week Tuesday, two days before we're hoping to join family in south Texas for Christmas, Judy will have to receive a stent to aid one of her urethras drain urine from the left kidney. It will be a day-surgery thing, but still .... We saw the urologist last Wednesday, and he doesn't want to take chances with what seems to be a blockage that could have implications for her kidney. Bah humbug.

With all the medical stuff behind us we left Friday at 5:45 a.m. for Monterey, CA, for a quick three-day trip. We spent a rainy day in Santa Cruz, where Judy felt compelled to get her first haircut in a long time (really, just a trim job) in an old-fashioned barber shop. We spent the other two days a block or two away from Cannery Row in Monterey. Our major reason for going had been the Monterey aquarium, and it did not disappoint us--what a fabulous place. Add to that a very, very nice hotel (which totally surpassed our expectations) in Monterey and just some good chillin' time, and it was a very nice little get-away.

And now it's back to cookie baking, fudge making, and present wrapping. One wouldn't think that this woman has cancer! I wish she'd slow down some, but good luck with that.

Jürgen

Three days before chemo Judy is PARTY LADY

2009-12-07T17:48:00.003-06:00

On the eve of St. Nick's day (Dec. 6) Judy invited various little munchkin friends over to the house to a cookie-decorating party. The parents were also allowed to come. Anna, Noah, Nicole, and Alli were the best party guests ever, spilling nothing but sprinkles and spreading icing mainly on the cookies or around their mouths. It was quite a sight! The mothers had their fun, too, while the boys decided to destroy some of that evil beer that they are now selling in Lubbock.

Despite a lot of preparatory work--yes, there were some snacks for the adults as well--Judy absolutely loved the day, and it seems everyone else did too.

It is starting to feel like Christmas in Lubbock, with traffic around the mall insane and the temperature not even hitting 27 Fahrenheit today. I have my last day of classes tomorrow, and Judy will undergo another round of chemo. So, life just rolls along.

Jürgen

Post Thanksgiving News

2009-12-01T19:18:00.004-06:00

First of all, I would like to say thanks to each of you for your continued support and kind words and thoughts. It has been a difficult year, but we certainly have done better than just survive.

We spent our Thanksgiving in Lubbock. Our plan had been to smoke Jürgen's turkey for the Big Day, but then Martha and Alan invited us over to their place for a non-traditional Greek-meal Thanksgiving. That was fun, and we all decided to make this a tradition. So, on Friday we reciprocated, and our friends came over to our house to partake in the smoked bird. More wine flowed...

You remember that I had had a CT scan before Thanksgiving, and yesterday I saw Dr. Phillips in regard to the results. Here's a quick run-down of what he told me: The cancer does not appear to have grown and there is no new tissue; however, there is some cyst-like tissue that is pushing against my urethra, close to the exit from the left kidney. As a result, urine backs up because it can't properly pass through the urethra. So, next week I will see a urologist to see what can be done about this. Quite likely a small stent will have to be inserted to open up and support the urethra. In regard to the chemo, Doc Phillips wants to continue with our current drugs as they seem to work. My next chemo treatment is scheduled for next week Tuesday, and on Wednesday I will see the urologist, Dr. Aronoff. And, I almost forgot, I'll be getting a weekly shot of a blood-boosting drug that Tour de France riders would probably love to get their hands on.

So, that's life in the Big World of JuJu. Happy Holidays!

Judy

Another CT Scan Today

2009-11-24T07:25:00.002-06:00

It's been almost two weeks since the last post. My, how time flies. Our life has been regulated by work (MHMR and TTU) and the usual day-to-day routine. The officiating travel for the year is done and over with, although we're going to run off to Monterey (CA) before mid-December for a weekend get-away.

The big thing this week (apart from the Thanksgiving turkey) is Judy's CT scan today. Dr. Phillips ordered the scan to find out whether something is going on that we need to know about. We hope that things are normal, but one never knows.

It is doubtful that we will know anything about the scan results until after Thanksgiving, so from both of us: Happy Turkey Day!

Jürgen

Good News!

2009-11-12T11:35:00.002-06:00

We just received the great news that Judy's CA-125--the number of cancer markers--has finally dropped after slowly increasing for months. When Judy went in for some lab work on November 2, her CA-125 was 171; this Tuesday, taken right before her latest chemo, it was down to 131.

We know that these are just numbers, but even so we are encouraged by these news. Maybe the new meds are finally kicking in. We'll know more in a month or so, when the next test right before her next chemo will be performed.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Jürgen

Another Chemo Treatment Behind Us

2009-11-11T14:14:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Judy was treated to another cocktail of meds. I am starting to lose count of them. After chemo she came home for half an hour and then went off to work. She's so tough. The nausea set in pretty early, and it was a rough night for her. Back to work this morning. I just hope that she is going to feel better tonight.

This weekend, Judy will go to Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo where she will be chief for the TMBRA marathon mountain bike race. Rumor has it that Lance Armstrong will show up, and she's a bit nervous about that. I'm going to fly to Clearwater, Florida, tomorrow after school for the 70.3 (half-Ironman) World championships. This will be our last race weekend of the year. Yeah!

What else did we do in Madrid?

2009-11-02T11:29:00.009-06:00

We visited the stables where Karen keeps her horse.

We went to the ham museum!

And we kept celebrating our friendship.

... and when we got back home, it was time to work yet another mountain bike race, this one a small affair in Abilene. Emily came over from Stephenville to help out.

London, Paris, and Madrid in one day!

2009-10-27T21:04:00.006-05:00

No kidding! The title to this post says it all. Judy's direct flight from DFW to Madrid last weekend took on a different dimension when her original flight out of Lubbock on Friday afternoon was canceled and she thus missed the Madrid flight. American rerouted her to London, but since all British Airways and Iberia flights from Heathrow to Madrid were completely sold out she was routed first to Paris for a short stop-over before traveling on. We reunited in Madrid early Saturday evening...

We had decided to see our English/Mexican friends Howard and Lidya in the Spanish capital a few weeks back after being informed that we wouldn't work one of our favorite (and longest-running) races in Ruston. Oh well. Howard's sister, Celia (with Judy in the photo above), was to come down from Twyford near London for our Big Chill-like reunion. I flew out on Thursday, right after my last class. Judy's plans to join me on that flight were stymied by work schedules at MHMR.

Regardless of how much time we actually spent with our friends, it was worth the effort. Quantity does not always equal quality, and that was certainly true of this weekend. We made our time count, even though Celia had to leave for the UK on Sunday afternoon while we didn't fly back until Monday noon, getting home by 11 p.m. on Monday. The time spent with our friends and Howard and Lidya's great kids--Sandra, Karen, and Simon--was priceless. We went out to eat, we had great tapas at home, we took a long walk in beautiful gardens, we went to Karen's horse-back riding stables, we had sangria and Spanish ham in the wee hours in a small downtown bar. What better way to spend a weekend, eh?

Today was a normal workday for both of us. Indeed, sleep and cancer are overrated. :)

Jürgen

The best olives in the world--and even Judy enjoyed a Mahou beer

Oktoberfest precedes the next chemo

2009-10-12T08:42:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, Wes and Susan hosted a small Oktoberfest party, and the surprise guest was Emily, who had come up from Stephenville and was taking a break from her studies at Tarleton State. Jerred and Jennifer had come over, too, and Wes' mom rounded out the company. (And of course, there were the rug rats.)

We all had a fun evening, with lots of brats, potato salad, and, yes, beer. Judy had dug out the customary Oktoberfest decorations, and as a special treat all of us--young and old--played a wild game of "Topfschlagen" where the blind-folded player uses a wooden spoon to find and bang on an upside-down kitchen pot that hides some trinket. We all laughed so hard that our bellies hurt!

After a dreary Sunday (drizzle, fog, cold temps) we're back to the normal routine: Judy is having her lab work done this morning, I'm grading papers, and the outlook for tomorrow is another round of chemo.

Jürgen

Judy is back from Bryan

2009-10-06T06:33:00.002-05:00

While I was frolicking in Chile on UCI business, Judy traveled to Bryan to officiate the BTU Power Pedal mountain bike race.

From what she told me in her e-mails (I am still en route coming back from Santiago while updating this blog), everything came off fine, despite rainy and muddy conditions.

As a special treat, Judy got to spend some time on Sunday after the race with Michelle, Ken, Ian, and Cal.

Next weekend we're actually going to be home together, so that's going to be another big treat for us. We should also learn fairly soon when the next chemo will come.

I'm sure looking forward to get home after six days in South America, and Judy is ready for a good snuggle, too.

Jürgen

"Stable Disease," says the doc

2009-09-30T17:20:00.006-05:00

So, there you have Doc Phillips' assessment of the state of affairs, one year--mas o menos--after diagnosis. Comforting? Not really. Positive? Well, that depends. Something we can live with? You bet.

Judy and I are coming off, or more precisely, are at the back end of a loooong run of travel weekends that started with Camp Eagle and is going to end with the BTU PowerPedal in Bryan for Judy and the Copa Chile XCO in Santiago for me. Interbike (as you can tell from the photos) was in between; Oklahoma City and Jack's Prairieman came before that. Dude, that makes it FIVE weekends!!! It'll be nice to be home next weekend, but first we're going to take care of business on the first October weekend, almost 5,000 miles apart.

We feel lucky to have these opportunities, and we both feed off the energy of the racers. The closer to home the race, the more energy. I'm updating this from the Atlanta airport, on the way to Miami and then Santiago. There won't be much energy from racers to feed on, but that's OK--the challenges and the environment I will find myself in are enough to wean Iran off its nuclear program. Judy will be great in Bryan as she has a good sous-chef in Darlene, great support in Tobin, Jen, and Cap, and end-of-the race cuddles from Michelle and her rascals.

We're lucky folks, "stable disease" not withstanding. We love what we do, even if we get a little tired once in while along the way.

OH, BTW, the pic shows us at the USAC booth where we spotted our little buddy Lilly Frasier from the TMBRA circuit.

Jürgen

After the OKC Redman

2009-09-21T09:10:00.003-05:00

It is Monday and time to remove the red mud from our clothes, courtesy of the Oklahoma Redman triathlon. For the second weekend in a row we had a rainy race. On Saturday, for the Ironman and Half-Ironman distance races, it poured buckets, once again. The beautiful park around Lake Heffner was reduced to a red mud pit. So that's why they call it "Redman"!

Sunday was sunny and quite warm, and the athletes doing the Sprint and the Olympic distance races did not suffer from hypothermia as on the day before but rather from dehydration. Things can change so fast. We saw a few old friends, among them Donna P. from the metroplex and her "Ironox" husband, William (not in the photo).

Judy held up very well with just a few bouts of nausea after Tuesday's chemo. It seems as if the doc has adjusted the meds well. This week we'll be in Las Vegas for the Interbike tradeshow, so more travel coming up. At least this time it's not 800 miles of driving but rather a few hours with American Airlines.

Judy says thanks for all those birthday wishes!

Jürgen

So Far, So Good: Chemo #10 Benign So Far

2009-09-16T21:45:00.004-05:00

Judy had a much easier time with her chemo yesterday than she did four or so weeks ago. Dr. Phillips apparently tweaked the meds enough so that the immediate nausea and general rotten feeling did not kick in. After chemo she went back to work, and in the evening we had a nice dinner on the porch with our friend Alan.

Tonight, 30 hours later, still no nausea--just a general feeling of being tired. But who wouldn't be in her shoes, even without chemo, eh?

Here's another Camp Eagle photo that our friend Kathy from the metroplex sent this morning.

If you didn't know: Judy's b'day is this Friday! Since we'll be traveling to OKC, we won't be close to a phone, but I'm sure she'll love e-mails or comments once we get to the Marriott!

Jürgen

One Year, 100 Blog Postings Later ...

2009-09-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe, but almost exactly one year has now passed since Judy went in for what seemed to be a routine colonoscopy and what turned out to become her on-going battle with Primary Peritoneal Cancer.

A year ago we sent an e-mail to our families and many, many friends, letting you know about our new situation. Our world had been turned upside down, and we had no idea where we would be a year later. Shortly after that e-mail I wrote the first blog entry, and now I am composing #100--it is such a round number that it does stand out. Initially we were worried that this electronic tool would be much too impersonal and sterile for such profoundly personal matters. Yet, as it turned out, it was the only practical means to involve those of you who wanted to follow Judy in her fight and who wanted to be kept informed on her progress (and setbacks).

Over the past year we have read your comments of encouragement and support that you have left on this blog, and we cannot tell you how important these messages have been and still are. Re-reading entries—just like those in a diary—and once again looking at the photos and your comments makes us even more aware of the journey that lies behind us. At the same time, we know that the journey continues, with no indication of its route or final destination.

I intend to keep this blog running for as long as is necessary because you have told us—often in person—how glad you are that you can participate and lend Judy (and me) a helping hand, even when you are far away. Your friendship is a huge factor in our ongoing battle as it strengthens us and provides us with the courage to go on.

Tomorrow Judy will have her overall 10th chemo treatment. We spent a rainy weekend in the Dallas area at the Praireman triathlon, where we saw Ester, Jack, Wanda, Cliff, Joanna, and many other of our strong supporters. Next weekend we will be in Oklahoma City, for two days of officiating triathlon competition. Our life goes on, as you can tell, but we don't forget that it almost stopped.

We love all of you!

Judy & Jürgen

Camp Eagle, Cycling Friends Boost Platelets!

2009-09-08T20:08:00.010-05:00

Our Labor Day trip to the mountain bike festival at Camp Eagle in central Texas proved to be a big morale and platelet booster: Judy's lab values today showed that she had gone from 36 to almost 140 platelets in just a week's time. So, another round of chemo is on tap for next Tuesday (9/15), just in time for her birthday on September 18. C'est la vie.

The trip to Camp Eagle brought with it early mornings and long days, but we cannot stress enough how much fun we had at this great venue. Just look at those photos and you see how much Judy feeds off being among this great family of friends. In the first shot you see her hamming it up with little Ava, who declared that she was the Queen after scaling the rock she's standing on.

The photo to the left epitomizes Judy, child of the '60s. After all, in her own words, she's all about tie-die. Camp Eagle has the facilities for contestants to tie-die their own event t-shirts, and Judy took the opportunity to also ti-die a bandana.

In the third photo you can see Judy at work, starting one of the many groups that go off in rapid succession. Yes, that's a starter pistol in her left hand. And the last two photos show her with medic Kirk, as well as her little friend Syndey, who is growing up way too fast. The two had a friendly competition who could slide the fastest down the Wet Willy into the Nueces river. What a great weekend! Thanks to all of you who came by and made a point to check with Judy personally how she's doing.

Jürgen

Chemo Date Postponed By Two Weeks

2009-09-01T14:08:00.002-05:00

Despite the transfusions, Judy's bloodwork was not good enough to allow the next chemo to happen today. Most likely it will be a two-week delay. Also, Dr. Phillips is tweaking the medication, so we'll see whether this will make a difference in how she reacts to the next treatment.

Judy had an uneventful HHH weekend, and when I came home from Canada yesterday she was quite chipper. Her hair has started to come back after we gave her a nice, clean cut about 10 days ago, but now with the new medication it looks as if it may fall out again. Oh hell, we'll get through this, too.

This upcoming weekend we'll see all of our TX mountain bike friends at the race at Camp Eagle, one of our very, very favorite venues. I'll definitely try to get some pictures. However, this year I doubt that we'll allow Judy to scale the floating "iceberg." No need for that foolishness if we can just swim in the river and avoid getting hurt.

Jürgen

Next Chemo Scheduled For Sep. 1

2009-08-25T13:07:00.003-05:00

After a full-meal-deal type of transfusion last week, we didn't think that Judy would be up for her second chemo of regimen #2 this week. So it came as no surprise when after lab work yesterday the verdict was: Lets have a cocktail next week.

So, that'll give Judy a chance to recover a little more, even though her trip this weekend to the Hotter'n'Hell bike races in Wichita Falls will not be exactly a vacation. Judy will chief the mountain bike race on Friday afternoon, and then she'll work the road races and the crits on Saturday and Sunday. But she wouldn't hear anything about sitting this one out--after all, the HHH is her longest-running officiating gig, something like 12 years in a row or so.

Say hello to her if you see her!

I for my part will jet out to Seattle right after (the semeter's first) classes on Thursday and then continue to Vancouver and Penticton, BC, on Friday morning. This will be my third year to be Head Referee for Ironman Canada.

I'll be back home Monday afternoon, in time to kiss Judy good-luck for Tuesday's chemo.

Jürgen

Another Triathlon Behind Us--And A Transfusion Ahead

2009-08-19T17:59:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, Judy and I were in the Seattle, WA, area for yet another half-Ironman triathlon. As you can tell from the picture, it was a beautiful day for racing, even if it started out a little foggy and cool. Lake Stevens is set among forested hills about an hour north of Seattle, in a beautiful part of the US. We are truly thankful to race organizer Bill Burke to have brought us out here--he's been a great supporter and friend. Even though there is always a lot of work to be done, every race brings with it great moments that show us how lucky we are.

When we got back to Lubbock yesterday, Judy had more lab work done. Now we know why she had been bruising up so easily: Her platelet count was down to a paltry 7. In a way that is good because it appears that the chemo cocktail is doing the trick, but it also means that Judy is pretty vulnerable. So, tomorrow morning (Thursday) it's off to the hospital for a few bags of fresh blood--sounds like Dracula, doesn't it? This should also help her perk up a little, because she has been quite tired, even though one wouldn't know it from seeing her go after things at work or at the races.

Right now it is doubtful that she is going to receive another round of chemo next week, as initially planned. Well, we'll take it the way it comes.

Jürgen

Here's the full crew:

Without Steroids Chemo is Less Fun

2009-08-06T16:08:00.002-05:00

Well, that's the mild way of putting it. Judy began her second cycle of six to eight rounds of chemo on Tuesday, and things were (and still are) quite a bit rougher than we expected. We had been told that the new drug that she is now getting (Gemzar) has fewer side-effects than what she had been getting (Taxol). Maybe that's why she wasn't given her usual accompanying dose of steroids. Whatever the reason, Judy has been feeling rotten since Tuesday's treatment. Next time around, she'll ask for the steroids, for sure.

The CA-125 cancer markers continue to inch upward--not good. It will be interesting to see whether this new drug and the renewed chemo after the lengthy hiatus will convince the disease to start receding again. Sure, it's just numbers, but that's all we have to go by.

I am writing this update while sitting in the Miami airport, waiting for my flight to Costa Rica where I am officiating an international mountain bike race this weekend. Judy and Emily will spend Saturday and Sunday in Abilene for their annual "Ride of Passage," a tradition that goes back 10 years. The idea has always been to ride a little farther than the year before and to try something new--in line with progressing from one school grade to the next. Now Emily is getting ready to enter college, and the Ride of Passage is still as apropos as a decade ago. Judy may be feeling crappy, but she won't let that stop her from doing what she wants to do. Maybe they'll adjust the length of the ride a little....

Stay tuned for the next update. Let's hope we have some good news and maybe a new photo.

Jürgen

The Doc Says: Let's Continue Chemo

2009-07-29T10:33:00.003-05:00

This morning, Judy and I went to Dr. Phillips' office for a follow-up to her CT-scan a few weeks back. The scan had been conducted after the official end of her chemotherapy.

We knew that her CA-125 (cancer markers) had been inching upward; however, the CT-scan did NOT reveal anything alarming, according to the doc. There is no spreading of the disease to any other organs or areas of the body apparent. Two small masses, each 1.8cm large, may be responsible for the increase in the CA-125, but Dr. Phillips did not seem too worried about these small areas but said that we obviously will want to keep an eye on them. He made no mention of any follow-up surgery. Instead, he is going to change the chemo cocktail (out with the Taxol, in with the Gemzar) with which he hopes to attack the cancer from a slightly different angle. From what we learned today, the Gemzar comes with fewer side effects than the Taxol and Judy may see some of her hair actually coming back. Most people also experience fewer episodes of nausea.

We're looking at another six to eight rounds of chemo, once again in three-week intervals. Obviously, the exact schedule will be dictated by Judy's blood count, so realistically we're looking at the remainder of 2009 for the chemo treatment. When the doc mentioned that simple, non-aggressive "maintenance" might be something that one could look at as well, Judy just said that she's "ready to kick the cancer in the ass, not slap it on the wrist." Dr. Phillips just grinned and gave her the most gentle and genuine hug.

So, that's where we are: more chemo on the way. Cancer, better watch out! You heard Judy!

Jürgen

Back to CA and the Redwood Forest (and Vineman)

2009-07-24T17:27:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, Judy and I once again traveled out to California to officiate the annual Vineman 70.3. we love this trip, because aside from the work
there is always a little bit of time for R&R in the wine country.

We flew out to San Jose on Friday and drove up to Sausalito and San Rafael that evening. On Saturday morning, we paid a visit to Guerneville, where the swim takes place. Apart from measuring the water temperature, we also made sure to pay a visit to Judy's giant friends in Armstrong Redwood State Park. Judy was sooooo happy on our 2-mile hike.

The rest of Saturday and Sunday we spent working the race--athletes' meetings, volunteer training, the race proper. It was a pretty wild one this year, with a few freak incidents: First my moto driver and I went down after about 100 meters in a right turn. Fortunately neither one of us got hurt, but his motorbike has some nasty scratches. Then, a short while later (and fortunately way behind us) an oak tree toppled and injured two riders underneath it as well as blocking the entire road and hundreds of racers for 10 or 15 minutes. Mind you, it was a calm, perfect day. And then one of my officials was stung by a bee and needed medical attention. Oh well, stuff happens.

Monday was a play day for us and we leisurely drove back toward San Jose, from where we flew back on Tuesday. What a great race weekend!

(The first pic shows us in the Redwood forest; the second one shows Judy with one of our officials, Brian O.; and the third shows a bovine made entirely of corks and other wine-related items that we saw in a small trinket shop in the city of Sonoma.)

This Saturday and Sunday we're at home in Lubbock before heading out to Michigan next Thursday for yet another race. On Wednesday we're going to have the big meeting with Dr. Phillips in which we hope to hear what the next course of action in Judy's treatment will be. I'll fill you in as soon as we know. Please send some good thoughts Judy's way when you get a chance!

Jürgen

Getting ready to go to California

2009-07-15T13:55:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, Judy and I went for a quick visit to Midland, where her brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Candace, live. As a special surprise, their daughter Alli with her 4-month-old, Griffin, flew in from Houston.

We had a great 24 hours with our family, hanging out at the pool/jacuzzi and eating and drinking well. By now, Alli and Griffin are back with daddy Jason in Houston, and Mike and Candace are getting ready to go to Colorado.

For our part, we are getting ready to go to California this weekend. Just like for the past few years I will be the Head Referee for the Half-Ironman race in the wine country, the Vineman 70.3. It is a well-organized race that runs in some of the most beautiful part of Sonoma valley, and the weather forecast beats the heck out of our monotonous 100F to 104F that we've been seeing in Lubbock for the past two weeks.

If we get a chance, we will say hi to Judy's beloved giant Redwood trees.

Jürgen

Waiting for CT Scan Results

2009-07-08T15:45:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd give all of you a quick update on where we are at this point in the treatment process.

Two weeks ago Judy had her eighth chemo treatment, and yesterday she went in for a CT scan to assess the next steps. Over the past few chemo treatments Judy's CA-125 (the cancer markers in the blood) have been slightly creeping upward, from a low of 11 to 40 before last week's chemo—remember, pre-op the CA-125 was over 1,300! Doc Phillips is not overly concerned as this is still considered within the normal range, but obviously we're not happy. We would have preferred a count of zero. But with all the delays because of Judy's low blood count it could be that things just didn't get as quickly cleared out as we had hoped.

We will have to wait until July 22 for a full report and a meeting with the doc. Until then, we will continue to lead our life as normally as possible. This weekend we'll be in Midland with Judy's brother and sis-in-law, and then we'll fly to the California wine country next weekend for a triathlon, the Vineman 70.3.

Stay cool (it's 103 here in Lubbock today!) and please keep sending your good thoughts Judy's way. We'll be in touch.

Jürgen

Chemo treatment completed!

2009-06-24T08:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Judy went through her 8th and—what we hope—last round of chemo. Yippie! Our good friend Lorane sat with her for most of the treatment, just as she had done on several other occasions before.

So now we will have to see how things continue. In two weeks, she will have a CT scan to "look" inside, and of course the lab work will also give Doc Phillips clues as to where we stand in regard to killing the beast completely. We expect that Judy will have to receive what is generally referred to as "maintenance," a lower dose of intermittent medications. Whatever it takes, she's ready.

But this was another milestone, pretty much 9 months after surgery. How time has flown by! Thanks to all of your support things have been much easier for both of us. It'd be nice if the war had ended, but we have some major battle successfully behind us. With your help, the upcoming skirmishes should not be insurmountable.

Jürgen

Hello from Cancun from a HAPPY Girl

2009-06-12T20:34:00.004-05:00

Sorry not to post any pics or long stories since our Internet access is severely limited down here in Mexico, but Judy is ONE HAPPY CAMPER!!!

We were upgraded in our hotel (the Westin!) to the one and only Master Suite (!!!!!!), and the beautiful blue sea is at our feet. Judy does everything she loves to do: sleep in a little, eat favorites, walk along the beach, drink a margarita at Happy Hour, and ......... so many other things. And by golly, she looks great! I have a beautiful wife.

I hope some photos will come soon once we have real internet access. And yes, her transfusion on Monday, before flying out Wednesday morning, helped a boatload.

Jürgen

24 Hours in Palo Duro

2009-06-03T08:00:00.004-05:00

I have been amiss at thinking all of my supporters on a regular basis, but now here it goes: Thanks for all of your support and love.

Last weekend, Team Jetstream (the Amarillo/Canyon High School team; all of them pictured above) pampered me and made sure that I had a perfect weekend. Oxymoronic as it may seem, during a weekend that was billed as a fundraiser for cancer awareness and research, was one of those magical respites from thinking of cancer. Even with low platelets and hemoglobin to boot, I was able to ride 31 miles on the trail, share great company, and enjoy the peace of the canyon that I have always loved. I felt like Outdoor Queen for a Day. My thanks go to all the members of Team Jetstream, young and old, for my super escape.

Now for an update as we plan for our little vacation in Cancun next week. I am skirting a transfusion, but the platelets are up to 55. Because of all my great support, love, and medical care I know we are beating this thing.

Love,

Judy

To three cool women: J, C, & K

2009-05-29T23:55:00.005-05:00

OK, so there are billions of very deserving people out there, but this is dedicated to three of them:

Cindi H., who is right now at Hardwood Hills, Ontario, Canada, leading a UCI race with a crew of fine, fine Canadians. Cindi has been an undying supported of Judy's cause, even though the two have never met in person. Good luck this weekend, scootr!

Kathy J., whose hugs and rubs and good-luck wishes have been more than an inspiration during the TX TMBRA Spring Championship Series, and who is currently staying at the same hotel as I am in Pellham, AL--together with her hubby Alan, aka Jürgen--or is it Jürgen, aka Alan? (Don't read too much into this--A. and I always get mixed up at races because of our superior facial hair!)

And: JuJu herself, who made it through another week of post-chemo and work, was the great wife she is, and built that wonderful graduation cake for Emily--only to leave on Saturday morning for the 24 Hours in the Canyon. She's incredible.

Thanks for all your support, amigas y amigos!

Jürgen

#7 and Memorial Day are behind us

2009-05-28T22:46:00.002-05:00

My, how time flies. Memorial Day is already three days past, and Judy's latest chemo treatment was more than a week ago. It was not a very kind chemo as it made her more nauseated than any of the other treatments before, but Judy is a tough cookie.

Over Memorial Day we stayed in town, had good dinners with friends, and rode the bikes. Judy tried to get back into the cycling mood since she will be going to Palo Duro Canyon this weekend to participate in the 24 Hours in the Canyon Ride for Cancer. She has promised me to be sensible and careful and not to overdo it. I can't keep an eye on her since I am writing this from a hotel room in Birmingham, Alabama, where I am as the Secretary for the Bump and Grind UCI mountain bike race.

When I talked to Judy earlier tonight on the phone, she told me that she had finished Emily's graduation cake and that our young friend was just estatic when she saw the objet d'art. Last night we had a little graduation ceremony for Em at Wayne and Lorane's place, and this Friday Emily's family will honor her--and then she'll run off to join Judy at Palo Duro.

That's it for the latest update. I hope to have new photos next time.

Jürgen

Chemo Round #7 Tuesday, May 19

2009-05-18T14:49:00.002-05:00

For all of our friends whom we have been seeing over the past few weekends at the races—and all those of you who have been following the blog—comes the latest news: Judy has been given the green light for her penultimate chemo treatment tomorrow, Tuesday May 19. Her platelet count was 103—three itty-bitty, tiny platelets above the minimum of 100 to get chemo. It probably was that last little piece of steak that she ate last night after we got home from X Bar.

Jürgen

No chemo this week

2009-05-11T11:40:00.005-05:00

The title says it all: Once again, chemo has been postponed by at least another week. Judy's blood just takes a huge hit every time she has a chemo treatment, and it takes her weeks to recover. she had her lab work done this morning, and once again the verdict is that she'll have to wait until next week.

On the bright side, Judy (and I) had a ball this weekend working the Texas High School Championship races in Amarillo. The kids were super-nice, and the organization and volunteers in Amarillo are incredible.

In the top photo, Judy starts the boys' criterium; in the middle photo, she poses with the top three riders in the girls' crit; and the bottom photo shows her with our long-time friend, the flamboyant Doc Nolan--note the stethoscope around his neck. Yes, he's a real doc.

Jürgen

Between #6 and #7

2009-05-07T11:47:00.002-05:00

My, how time flies! It seems as if I updated this blog just yesterday, but here we are, almost three weeks later.

This is just a short update to let you know where we stand: Judy saw Dr. Phillips yesterday, and the lab work hints (but not forcefully) that she will have chemo round number 7 next week Tuesday. Her blood values are down, as usual, but we're hoping that she can get on with the program. Otherwise, it'll be yet another week later.

It came as a little bit of a disappointment when Dr. Phillips mentioned that most likely round # 8 will be the end of chemotherapy proper but that Judy will have to undergo "maintenance" treatment. That means that her port will not be removed for months to come and she will have to continue lab work and check-ups on a frequent basis. At this point we don't have any details whatsoever, but Judy was disappointed as she had hoped to get rid of the port, which is at times uncomfortable and will keep us from going back to our diving days as long as she has it.

Oh well. The most important thing is that we continue the recovery and get rid of the cancer completely, regardless of how long that will take.

Jürgen

The Racing season is Moving Along ...

2009-04-21T11:36:00.008-05:00

... and so are Judy's treatment and convalescence.

Last weekend we spent two days at Flat Rock Ranch, close to Comfort in Texas' beautiful central part. For the ninth year in a row we worked the STORM Hill Country Mountain Bike Challenge, which celebrated its 10th anniversary. The weather cooperated, and it was one of those weekends that blur work and fun. But isn't that the way it is supposed to be anyhow?

Overall, it was a fabulous, well-run race, with only two injuries that required incident reports (but that did not appear to be so serious that we had to involve ambulances or helicopters). We had an unfortunate situation with a course marking that confused some riders, but all-in-all it couldn't have been much better as the weather cooperated and everybody seemed to sport a smile (especially when ice-cream man Lindal came by with yet another round of free popsicles and crunchy bars!).

After her chemo, Judy didn't feel all that great this weekend, but she still pulled her share of work. In the photos you can see her giving the countdown in the Time Trial to Kyle J. (whose mother, Kathy, sent us these three photos) as well as Eric F., the ever-smiling Junior whose brother Ian has been ripping up the open Single Speed class.

In two weeks we'll be at Double Lake, near Houston, for another round of mountain bike events.

Jürgen

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:36:00.008-05:00

Happy Easter to all of you!

Judy is playing bunny this morning with a whole basket of home-made Easter eggs that she is taking to her church. Not only do they look great, but they are yummy!

We are at home this weekend, in between two weekends of races. Judy is going to have her next chemo on Tuesday, so she's enjoying these days of not feeling crummy. Last night we had a fabulous spread of tapas, and tonight we'll carve into the ham that I am planning to slow-smoke this afternoon.

We'll update you next week how round #6 is coming along.

Jürgen

(PS: If you really want to see these Easter eggs in all their glory, click on the picture and get a close-up view!)

70.3 Ironman New Orleans

2009-04-08T09:30:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Judy and I were for four days in New Orleans for the inaugural 70.3 Ironman New Orleans. As Head Referee I was responsible for the fairness of an event that with 3,000+ participants was the largest in Ironman history. Wow!

Everything came off fabulously at a superbly organized race in a spectacular setting. Just imagine the racers finishing right in front of Jackson Square in the French Quarter! Judy did a great job keeping the Pro women's field in check during the bike portion of the race, which is our main responsibility. I stayed with the Pro men, and our remaining six officials did a fine job keeping the so-called age-groupers fair.

It wasn't just all work. We were able to spend time in the French Quarter and on Bourbon Street, listening to a beautiful concert, eating muffalettas, begging for beads, and drinking Abita beer (I more so than Judy). It was our 20th anniversary weekend, and the Hilton (where we stayed courtesy of race director Bill Burke) had a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for us when we arrived.

Judy was beaming pretty much the whole time. At one point she told me that she hadn't felt this good in more than a year, and several times she said that she wasn't barely thinking of the cancer. Her attitude was just amazing: Hard working as always, energetic, fun-loving, and happy. What a wonderful weekend we had in the place where we had honeymooned 20 years earlier. We can't thank Bill enough for insisting that we'd work this event—he and I had talked about it last November at the 70.3 World Championships in Florida, when I told him about Judy's condition. He'd said to me, "I want you to come out and have a good time." And he was a true friend this weekend, too. Thanks Bill and Ashley, his right-hand assistant!

Even the plane ride was fun as we were upgraded to First both ways on the DFW to New Orleans portion. Our loyalty to American Airlines does have its perks.

We're back in Lubbock, and Judy had her lab work done yesterday. All systems are "go" for the sixth round of chemo next Tuesday. We're getting closer to the end of this part of the treatment.

Happy Easter to all of you!

Jürgen

Judy and her buddy Fats Domino in the French Quarter.

What a spectacular finish in front of Jackson Square.

Next Chemo Not Until April 14

2009-03-30T21:12:00.002-05:00

Well, the blood values have spoken: Even though Judy's red blood cell count is up her platelets and white cells are not ready for another round of chemo just yet. Judy had her routine lab work done this morning, and the verdict was that chemo # 6 will most likely come right after Easter.

In a way we're glad about the delay since we're going to fly to New Orleans Thursday evening for the inaugural New Orleans 70.3 Half-Ironman, for which I am the head referee. Had Judy received her chemo tomorrow, chances would have been good that NO would have been less fun. We're looking forward to working this race since—drum roll—Wednesday (yep, April Fools' Day) is our 20th wedding anniversary and we had honeymooned in the Crescent City. So, for us it is not just a race (a big one at that!) but also a return to the past.

We'll let you know how this trip comes along. As an early gift from American Airlines we received our upgrade notification last night, meaning we'll be flying in style on the short hop from Dallas.

Jürgen

Transfusion Day

2009-03-24T17:01:00.001-05:00

After Judy's blood values still had not recovered sufficiently from her last round of chemo, the doc wanted her to have another transfusion. She went to the hospital this morning, and when I got out of school she still had the last half bag (of three) to go. Around 4:30 p.m. we were home, and now she is resting. The transfusion made her nauseated and she had to throw up a few times. Poor little thing! She looks even tinier when she is not feeling well. We don't know yet when the next chemo will happen, but we doubt that it will be next Tuesday, the day before our 20th anniversary.

Let's hope that this "outside assistance" is going to perk her up a little.

Jürgen

Might as well have some FUN!

2009-03-16T08:41:00.004-05:00

Judy's hair is doing funny stuff: after a period of falling out and becoming patchy it has decided to grow, just a little bit--but in a funky way. So Judy decided that it was time to have a little fun, and with the help of her biggest supporters she was given a purplish mohawk yesterday. The color is very temporary, and we already had to touch up a little this morning.

We didn't go to Waco this weekend for the race, as planned. Waco had torrential rains, so the Outback Blowout was rescheduled for next weekend. Since I will be in Germany for a few days with my dad, Judy will have to work the race by herself. We were able to snag one of the last seats on AA (think spring break and all the flights being full!), and she'll fly to Waco on Saturday morning and come back on Monday morning.

The worst of chemo #5 is behind her, it seems. This morning she is going to have her routine blood work done, and we'll see whether her booster shot of Aranesp last week has had the desired effect.

For those of you who will be in Waco next weekend, check the color of Judy's hairdo as she may go for something different by then.

Jürgen

Judy is an Official EPO Doper!

2009-03-09T21:58:00.002-05:00

The word today was that Judy's blood values are fairly anemic, but Judy insisted that before going for yet another transfusion she wants to try other ways to boost her red blood cells. So, she received a dose of some EPO-like stuff, and we're hoping that it will have the desired effect so that Judy won't have to spend a day in the hospital for a transfusion. The platelets are low, too, so overall please send any rusty nails, scrap iron, or yummy veggies our way. :)

We'll get through this, too.

Jürgen

CA-125 Down to 10—"Normal"!

2009-03-06T17:13:00.003-06:00

Wow! Judy's cancer markers have dropped once again. This time the drop was not as significant as for every other treatment cycle so far, but we had expected a slow-down or even a slight reversal. When Judy went for chemo #5 on Tuesday, she underwent the usual lab work. Today she was told that her CA-125 had dropped from 11 to 10. This number is actually seen as lying in the "normal" range, so we are quite encouraged.

Three days after chemo Judy is starting to feel the effects of the immuno-therapy which is part of the treatment. Her chest hurts, and overall she's feeling yucky. Still, tonight we're going to celebrate Wayne's birthday at his and Lorane's place—something that Judy wouldn't miss for anything. Hey, she even made some Tatooed Canaries so we can celebrate isalnd-style!

Jürgen

Chemo Round #5 Scheduled for Tuesday

2009-03-02T12:29:00.003-06:00

We just received word from Dr. Phillips' office that Judy will have her fifth chemo treatment tomorrow, on Tuesday 3/3. We really didn't expect this since Judy has not been able to shake whatever respiratory infection we both seem to have, and this has been going on for several weeks now. So, the surprise was great that everything is a "go."

Over the weekend, Judy and I were in a tiny place north-west of Dallas, St. Jo. We officiated a big mountain bike race on a ranch, and it was great to see how many of the racers came up to Judy to give her a hug and see how she's doing. Our extended mountain bike family gives Judy a lot of strength and energy, even if working the event was obviously not as relaxing as sitting in an easy-chair at home. Judy was good and didn't overdo it, and she even took a few breaks so that she wouldn't discharge her batteries.

Maybe it was all those good wishes and positive thoughts from the weekend that boosted her blood levels! We sure would like to think so.

Jürgen

News from Paris (yes, that's France)

2009-02-20T12:13:00.002-06:00

We arrived in Paris just as scheduled. Emily, Judy, and I are were greeted by blue skies and mild temps. On Thursday we explored together sites such as the Rodin Museum, Napoleon's Tomb, and the Arc de Triomphe.

Today, Judy's been a little under the weather and decided to stay in the hotel while Em and I have been rising all over town on the "velibs" and have seen goodies such as mona Lisa, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower.

Let's hope that Saturday's market day will include Judy. Love all of you (and Thompson--whoever he or she may be--who provided a free internet access point here in the Latin Quarter),

Jürgen

A good weekend in Lubbock

2009-02-16T06:47:00.004-06:00

It was Valentine's weekend, and the weather cooperated. We spent Valentine's itself at home—Judy felt too tired to go out for a big dinner after along week of work. On Saturday, we were with Alan and Martha H. (on the right in the photo), and Sunday night Emily came over and shared a nice steak and pasta dinner with us.

Sunday afternoon, Emily and Judy took Martha out for a spin through the neighborhood while the boys had their own ride. And just for good measure, Wes and the ever-so-cute Annabella stopped by in the late afternoon. Anna insisted that Judy wear a crown and wear a "dress" (her own tiny apron) to be a "princess," and the two of them chased bubbles in the front yard.

This morning Judy will have her weekly lab work done, and we are hoping that she will have chemo #5 next week after we come back from Paris, Emily's graduation trip.

Jürgen

Judy relaxes in Kansas City

2009-02-11T09:16:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, Judy and I flew to Kansas City for a quick getaway. Even though we didn't eat any Bar-B-Q (neither one of us had any appetite--I had come down with my worst cold in years, and she was still feeling the effects of chemo #4) we did enjoy not doing anything. Saturday saw a record heat wave in KC for the date with 69 degrees!

Monday's lab work showed that this time around her blood values are not as dire as after chemo #3, and that makes us hopeful that round #5 is going to happen right after our quick hop to Paris next week when we'll take Emily for her graduation trip.

Look for an update next week, maybe even from Paris itself. I tell you, the girls are quite excited, and if KC was an indication, Judy is ready to travel.

Jürgen

CA-125 down to 11!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-30T12:33:00.002-06:00

Just a super-fast update while I am in the San Francisco airport: Just got word from my dear JuJu that the Ca-125 is down to an UNBELIEVABLE 11 points before chemo #4, and all that after a six-week interval! She is kicking it, folks, she is kicking it as hard as she can. They told us the CA-125 would be up, and now she has done it again--one third of what it was beforehand, exactly like every other treatment. Oh, I can't tell you how I feel!!!!!!

Jürgen

Smooth Chemo #4

2009-01-29T20:08:00.001-06:00

Just as a quick update: Judy had a smooth Tuesday at Doc Phillips' office, getting her fourth round of "killer kemicals." Afterward she went to work for the rest of the day. Wednesday we went to see the good doc for a routine exam, and we had to chuckle when he asked whether Judy is "functional." I told him that Judy is probably more functional than the majority of women her age who are not sick. He liked to hear that Judy enjoyed every minute of our Albuquerque excursion.

Usually we receive the latest CA-125 report on Thursday after the chemo, but the results weren't in today. Maybe that had to do with the icy conditions we had in the region since the blood sample is being sent out of town. We'll see where we are this time around—maybe the markers will be up a little since it was six weeks between treatments.

Judy continues to take the chemo well, with only a limited amount of nausea and feeling crappy. What a trooper she is!

Jürgen

Chemo Round #4 Tomorrow—Finally!

2009-01-26T13:43:00.003-06:00

After a three-week delay because of unsatisfactory blood values, Judy finally will receive her fourth round of chemotherapy tomorrow, Tuesday Jan. 27. If everything had been on schedule, she'd receive round #5 tomorrow.

The delay was quite frustrating for Judy, and there is no telling how many more postponements we will face in the rounds ahead, but this hurdle has been cleared for now. Judy is so ready to get on with killing the beast, and you know that she will.

We will update you on how she is feeling in a few days.

Jürgen

Mini Vacation in NM

2009-01-21T08:02:00.002-06:00

Practically every January, Judy and I travel to Albuquerque, MN, for my birthday--it just so happens that it is also MLK weekend. This year we were joined by Alan and Martha H. The fact that Alan is also Judy's Infectious Disease doctor was an added bonus, just in case Judy might feel funky. Well, none of that happened. Instead, the four of us spent two nights in Albuquerque and then the two of us went over to Santa Fe for a third night. We gorged ourselves on New Mexican red chile dishes, took several nice walks (one of them in the lava fields west of ABQ, where the photos were taken during a beautiful picnic with our friends), and ate superior pizza at Il Vicino's, one of our favorite restaurants anywhere. I had a chance to introduce Alan to several fine brew pubs, and I even turned him on to buying a growler of IPA (while I refilled two of my own).

The weather was perfect with nothing but sunshine and daytime highs in the mid-50s--on the way home from Santa Fe it was even warm enough to drop the roof on the Miata! Judy was beaming the entire time, and when we took our little hikes she was like a little kid in the candy store. She loved "being out of prison," as she called it.

Now we're just hoping that the R&R, extra iron rations, and general atitude help in getting her back on her chemo schedule next week.

Jürgen