Time flies.  Thanksgiving is past and Chanukah and Christmas are right around the corner. Here’s a quick update on what has been happening with Betsy.  She is still in the same room at the same place and pretty much the same all over.  On October 8th we had another Betsy Day with several of Betsy’s local hiking friends taking her in her wheelchair down to Lake Kittamaqundi.  Keith had fashioned an ingenious metal plate and Velcro strap that kept her bad left leg on the wheelchair footrest.  We all walked further than we had walked to date and Betsy stayed very comfortable.  Of course, it helped that it was a lovely day.  We returned to the gazebo at Vantage Point for a bag lunch.  As usual, people brought lots of extra goodies to share.

  Betsy went to Johns Hopkins Hospital on both Oct. 18th and 19th to participate in a study that is using some chemical to try and change a sugar molecule in her muscles from a gel back to its normal liquid state.  Unfortunately, the trial was too rigorous for Betsy and she was dropped from the study much to her disappointment.  However, Dr. Preeti Raghavan, in the rehabilitation department of Hopkins, suggested that she could see Betsy as an outpatient and try the same treatment.  On Nov. 22nd, I arranged for a wheelchair accessible van to take Betsy to Hopkins again.  This time Betsy was injected 20 times, each injection into a different muscle in her left arm.  Betsy was a real trooper   The doctor was able to move Betsy’s arm around into positions Betsy hadn’t been able to do.  Betsy still couldn’t move it on her own.  Betsy was given three exercises to do every day with help.  However, Betsy now says the arm is just as stiff as it always was.  She has an appointment on Dec. 21st for injections into her left leg.

Larry and Rita came to visit Betsy for a few days in late October the day I left on a tour of Japan.  They returned again for a quick visit on Nov. 23rd this time with their daughter Kendra and son-in-law Joel.  Sadly the 4 of them had been in Virginia for the funeral of Rita’s brother Bobby Silverstein.  They didn’t stay for Thanksgiving, but used the day to drive back to Marblehead, MA.  Leah and I took Betsy a Thanksgiving meal on that Friday.

 Betsy has been in contact with the current dean of the University of Colorado Law School, the only other female dean since Betsy was dean there 40 years ago.  The dean sent Betsy some questions to answer about her experiences as a dean.  The answers will be used along with the current dean’s answers to the same questions.  It will be interesting to see how their views agree or differ.

  I know Betsy would want me to wish all of you a very happy and peaceful holiday season.