It was an honor to be mentioned on the Quarantine podcast Sunday night. I’m just now getting back to the place where I want to be posting on the site.
I have been blessed with great family and friends. A great church family and professional colleagues. Great neighbors. And I have a great online community in CycloneFanatic.com (that has had many offline manifestations too).
When I first signed up on the site, I choose the username “Cycsk” because I wanted my real identity to be hidden in plain view (and I liked having a simple, but unpronounceable username). In the spirit of Cyclone Jerry, I’m “Cyclone Steve Kemp (Cyc-sk).” Over the years, I have become more open about my identity, particularly when we do things like the Camping World Bowl tailgate fundraiser. So, now, let’s open it up wide.
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My wife Judy was fantastic and so supportive of my vocation and avocations, like Iowa State sports. We live in Ames, so we get tons of opportunities to attend. She was more of a gymnastics, swimming & diving, and volleyball fan, but also enjoyed basketball and football when the weather was good. Gymnastics was my “entry drug” for Iowa State sports. We got connected to the program during its heyday through our daughter’s participation in the Cardinal Gymnastics Club and couldn’t believe that we were able to have personal relationships with All-American caliber athletes. We came from Chicago where sports were great, but inaccessible, especially when compared to Ames. Judy never quite understood my enjoyment (addiction) of Cyclone Fanatic, yet she supported me in all the extra things related to it, as well as our large community tailgating before football games.
This photo was taken one day after her diagnosis with Stage IV lung cancer in 2017. It never seemed fair that someone who was a non-smoker and so health-conscious for all her life would be stricken. You can see by the look on her beautiful face that she was going to pursue “life over cancer,” not just be a victim of a cruel disease.
I could go on and on about how wonderful she was (as I alternate between writing something like this and being a blubbering idiot sobbing and swearing about the loss). If you want to experience some of her journey and lessons for yourself, she kept a very transparent and thoughtful journal on CaringBridge.com (
www.caringbridge.org/visit/judykemp/journal). She didn’t want to “waste her cancer,” so she tried to use her three-years of experience, research, and reflection to educate and encourage readers on all sorts of health, medical, and faith matters.
If you don’t want to go down the emotional roller roaster of her CaringBridge.com journal, here is my summary of the main things for which she advocated:
· Donate to Caring Bridge. This has been such a wonderful vehicle for her to support so many others.
· Invest in health. Take seriously matters of nutrition, exercise, and rest, even if they are contrary to the Standard American Diet (which is SAD). We always have vegan options at our tailgates.
· Pursue Life Over Cancer. Her oncologist, Dr. Keith Block wrote a book by this title that has so much to offer about life and health, regardless of whether you have cancer. However, if you know anyone with cancer, refer them to the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment. We actually looked forward to our tri-weekly trips for chemo because of our wonderful community of patients and staff.
· Embrace Isaiah 40:31. Find your strength in the Lord, not in yourself or your circumstances.
My dear Judy was the best!
