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Rachel Duncan

2/17/2019

4 Comments

 
Sunday, February 17th, 2019
​Lexington, Virginia

Rachel Duncan

Picture
I never met Rachel Duncan. 

I did see her on stage and heard her perform many times, as Principal Trumpet of the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia. At the age of 33, having already performed with prestigious orchestras around the world, Rachel was a rising star in the classical music community.

​Rachel left our world (suddenly, unexpectedly, sadly) in August of last year. In September, the University of Virginia held a memorial service for her at Old Cabell Hall, home of the Charlottesville Symphony. Eli and I attended the service, which was structured as a series of musical performances from Rachel's closest friends and co-workers.

Rachel's husband spoke eloquently of her, after which he performed (also on the trumpet) an original jazz work with the UVA Jazz Ensemble. Lastly, the jazz department's John D'earth led the mourners out of the auditorium to a slow and haunting rendition of Patsy Cline's Just A Closer Walk With Thee. The service ended with Rachel's husband on stage, alone, playing the closing notes of the song to an empty auditorium.

The entire service was incredibly moving. It was, really, beyond anything that words could express. So, I won't even try.

Health update

In my last blog post, made almost a year ago, I said:

​All of that explains why I need the procedure (installation of a TIPS, or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt). As for when and where, the procedure will be done this Wednesday (March 14th) by the Interventional Radiology staff at Johns Hopkins. I will be monitored for a day or two and then sent home, barring any complications from the procedure.

I'm happy to report that there were no complications from the procedure that prevented me from going home after a couple of days in the hospital. I was unlucky enough, however, to exhibit one of the known complications from the TIPS procedure: hepatic encephalopathy. To quote Wikipedia:

​The first stage of hepatic encephalopathy is characterized by an inverted sleep-wake pattern (sleeping by day, being awake at night). The second stage is marked by lethargy and personality changes. The third stage is marked by worsened confusion. The fourth stage is marked by a progression to coma.

I quickly advanced to the third stage, rendering me (in my own words) a "happy dimwit." It was a very odd feeling, listening to someone speak, hearing the individual words, but having no ability at all to string those words together into something imbued with meaning.

Luckily, however, "there's a drug for that." In this case, it's a drug called Rifaximin. Although it was developed and approved for the treatment of  irritable bowel syndrome,  it turns out to be an excellent treatment for hepatic encephalopathy. Go figure!

Fast forward to September

With the encephalopathy under control, I was able to steer clear of doctors and hospitals for a good, solid six months. In early fall, however, my hemoglobin started to drop. To combat this, my oncologist started me on a course of steroids. That did the trick to remedy my hemoglobin, but the steroids also made me susceptible to other "opportunistic" infections (since steroids work by "shutting off" one's immune system). In my case, I came down with a case of cryptococcal meningitis. That's a fungal infection in and around the brain. The diagnosis and initial treatment for it cemented my inpatient status at Johns Hopkins for a couple of weeks in November. The complete treatment for this type of meningitis takes a full year, but it is as simple as taking a daily pill.

All in all, I continue my tour of modern medicine and the seemingly miraculous solutions that it can provide. What will the rest of 2019 bring? Who knows, but I bet it will be something interesting.

Music

I've discovered a few new bands lately. Here is one of my favorites: Jenny and the Mexicats. Although many of their lyrics are in Spanish, a language that I do not know, I find their music and melodies to be infectious. Your mileage might vary.

Photo collections

Here are some photo collections from some of the highlights of the last year. Click any of them for more pictures.
Cam and Nancy's Wedding
Easter 2018
Botanical Garden 2018
Cincinnati 2018
Eli's College Graduation
Christmas 2018
Chaz's Wedding

Photos

​Here are some photos that we've either taken or collected recently.

Tidbit

It always surprises me when I run across a word that I've just never heard before, despite reading numerous books, magazines and newspapers for over 53 years. Just today I came across one of these: diktat. To quote Wikipedia:

A diktat is a statute, harsh penalty or settlement imposed upon a defeated party by the victor, or a dogmatic decree. The term has acquired a pejorative sense, to describe a set of rules dictated by a foreign power or an unpopular local power. The phrases "To impose its values" or "give orders" can be synonymous with giving a diktat.
​
​I'll mull this one over and look for an opportunity to drop it into casual conversation.
Picture
4 Comments
Jennifer Payne
2/18/2019 06:29:57 pm

For anyone reading this who might assume that Josh's mind is now muddled, I visited him in December, and his memory was so sharp that he reminded me of many people we met and sights that we saw during a trip in college. I need me some Rifaximin!

Reply
Maria Parker
2/18/2019 07:11:11 pm

Glad your health is improved enough to allow you to send this out. Love your blogs/newsletters.

Reply
bev Bley
2/19/2019 08:54:28 am

Oh, Josh--so good to hear from you. Sounds like an extremely harsh and frightening time for you and Alison. We think of you both so often and wish we could send you magic healing powers. I love your new word--I can think of many uses for diktat.

Reply
Harry and Beth Davis
2/19/2019 01:34:38 pm

Seeing your email pop up today made my day. I always enjoy reading updates and learning cool stuff. The clip of Rachel and her fellow brass performers was stunning! I took the time to read her online obit...she was originally from Plymouth MN where some of my relatives live. I wonder if they have heard of her. Love you lots and glad that you are feeling well enough to share your world view with us,

Reply



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    Joshua Golub

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  • Home
  • Family
    • The Coles >
      • Cole Rehearsal Dinner
      • Cole Wedding
      • Delisio Thanksgiving 2017
      • Coles in Lexington 2018
    • The Delisios >
      • Delisio Orlando 2001
      • JP's College Graduation
      • Becca's 21st
      • Liesl's 50th
    • The Dropplemans >
      • 2011 Droppleman Reunion
      • 2005 Droppleman Reunion
      • 2010 Droppleman Reunion
      • Nanny's 70th Birthday
      • Random Collection
      • David's Camera
      • Droppleman Thanksgiving 2017
      • Dave's 80th Birthday
      • Corrotoman 2020
    • The Golubs >
      • Holiday Letters >
        • 2020
        • 2012
      • 2021 >
        • Josh's 56th
      • 2020 >
        • Bethlehem 2020
        • Circle Quilts 2020
        • Ginger's Shower 2020
        • Josh's 55th
        • Reservoir Hollow Trail 2020
      • 2019 >
        • Christmas 2019
        • Eli's Sendoff 2019
        • July 4th 2019
        • Madagascar 2019
        • NYC 2019
        • San Diego 2019
        • Santa 2019
        • Thanksgiving 2019
        • Tucson 2019
      • 2018 >
        • Alison's 56th
        • Botanical Garden
        • Christmas 2018
        • Cincinnati 2018
        • Dad's 75th
        • Easter
        • Eli's College Graduation 2018
        • Rachel 2018
      • 2017 >
        • Alison's 55th
        • Brooklyn Golubs in Lexington
        • Indianapolis
      • 2016 >
        • Matt's Graduation
        • Nathan's Pets
      • 2010 >
        • Rachel's Wedding
    • The Immigs >
      • Aunt Eileen's Memorial
      • Uncle Bill
      • Chaz's Wedding
    • The Normans >
      • Dave's 65th
      • Nancy's Bridal Shower
      • Nancy's 27th 2017
    • The Roberts >
      • Mom's 75th
      • PopPop
      • PopPop's 60th
      • PopPop's 75th
      • The Roberts Random Collection
    • The Scarpellos >
      • Lucia's First Birthday
      • Baby Joshua Joseph Kenneth Scarpello
      • Josh's 3rd Birthday
      • Josh's 5th Birthday
    • The Simmons >
      • John and Alan's Wedding
      • Camping with Will and Stacey
      • Cam and Nancy's Wedding
      • Panama City 2004
      • Ian Fall 2020
      • Maggie 2021
      • Ian Summer 2021
    • The Zbars >
      • 2006 Zbar Reunion
      • Uncle Bert's 80th
  • Friends
    • Otters
    • 2021 >
      • The Johnsons 2021
      • The Walkers 2021
    • 2020 >
      • Carson Trexler 2020
      • Girls Walk 2020
    • 2019 >
      • Edenton 2019
    • 2018 >
      • Ingersolls in Richmond 2018
      • With Beth at River 2018
    • 2017 >
      • The Steps of Church Hill
    • 2016 >
      • Michael Zacharias Wedding
    • 2011 >
      • Marie's 50th Birthday
    • 2010 >
      • Edenton 2010
  • Blue Dove
  • Blog