A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races

A Day At The Races

My Dad, Joe Judge, was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma in September of 2012. After consultations with leading hospitals and oncologists, it soon became apparent that there was no cure for this cancer, and managing the disease would only buy a few more precious months at best. Although my Dad fought hard, we watched the disease take it’s toll every day before eventually taking his life in January 2013. We had never heard of this type of cancer before his diagnosis, but have since come to learn that it is aggressive, rare, and incurable. We are hoping to change the bleak outcome by raising money to help The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation fund strategic research and deliver support and understanding to both patients and caregivers.

My Dad led a distinguished and accomplished professional life, but the truly impressive legacy he leaves behind is the countless relationships he has fostered with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and even strangers. He was one of the most compassionate, thoughtful, generous, and kindhearted individuals to have lived this life, and those who knew him are forever enriched by the light he brought to every moment and experience. Whether he was sitting in a beach chair surrounded by family—like he so often did; enjoying the casinos in Atlantic City; cheering on his horses at the racetrack with his partners, family, and friends; watching football on a Sunday afternoon; or just spending time with his wife and family—my Dad was the light of those experiences, making it incredibly enjoyable for himself and those around him. He treated every individual he encountered with a warm nature of compassion, and genuineness, a quality admired by all.

His life is one that should not only be cherished, but admired for the way he lived each and every moment of it. He lived in the present, reveled in the time he was able to spend with his family and friends, and treated each day as a gift—a gift he shared with all of us.