Help Hope Live for Libby Judge

August 12, 2025

Update from Carolyn, Libby’s daughter:

It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news of my dad, Joe Judge, passing away unexpectedly on July 28th while in Key Largo, FL. My mom, Libby, was blessed to share 50 years of marriage with him. Dad lived a life full of love, laughter, and presence. He lit up every room he entered, had a rare gift for making people feel at ease, and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. We laid him to rest on August 9th, surrounded by family and friends who loved him deeply, and we continue to grieve this tremendous loss. Read his obituary here: Joseph Gerard Judge Obituary July 28, 2025 - The Donohue Funeral Homes Inc. Just days after Dad passed, Mom faced a serious health setback. She was hospitalized for five nights at Chester County Hospital to receive treatment for serious infections and to undergo necessary tests. Thankfully, she received the care she needed to be well enough to attend Dad’s funeral. She is now home and focused on continued treatments and healing, though it will take time and continued care. Please feel free to call, write, and visit Libby. We appreciate your outpouring of love along with your donations for her continued care. Knowing that Mom (and our family) has a strong community behind her brings a bit of comfort as she navigates both grief and recovery. Thank you for walking alongside us during this very difficult time.

Sincerely, Carolyn

December 5, 2024

12/5/24: A message from Libby:

I learned an important lesson recently, and that is to NEVER boast! A couple of months ago I was bragging about canceling my standing reservation at Chester County Hospital, since it had been almost a year since my last stay. A record I was proud of. Then bam! Just as Joe and I were preparing to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, I reclaimed my bed there. It was not exactly how we envisioned our landmark year.

I have been fortunate to have found a few Ukrainian women to come in to help me. Besides taking care of me, they follow my instructions in making dinners for my family.They are also able to take me to appointments and meet friends for lunch, dinner or a movie. Your past contributions have made all this possible.

A good portion of my time I spend going to the various sporting events following our 7 grandchildren, who range from 2 to 20. Who knew how riveting 6 year old girls soccer could be!

A highlight of this past year was an annual reunion weekend at the beach with childhood girlfriends. We went on a sunset cruise on the Delaware Bay. It was the first time being on a boat in 10 years. Never to be out done, Joe surprised me with a whale and dolphin watching cruise in Cape May later in the summer. Does life get any better than that?

Of course summer would not be complete without going to a Phillies game. It was exciting season until their disappointing loss to the New York Mets in the playoffs. We can only hope that our Eagles won’t let us down and will take us to the Super Bowl.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with joy.

Libby

April 6, 2023

Mark your calendars for June 2nd, 2023, for another Love.Live.Give fundraising in-person event at The Great American Pub in Conshohocken, PA! More details to come. Auction (in person & virtual options), food & drinks, music, and much more!

November 29, 2022

Giving Tuesday is NOVEMBER 29! Help Hope Live will cover the credit card fee for all online donations for even more impact. You can make a tax-deductible donation to Help Hope Live in Libby’s honor.

November 29, 2021

ANNOUCEMENT: Tuesday, November 30th is Giving Tuesday. We still need your donations to help support health, wellness, and safety for Libby. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Help Hope Live in Libby’s honor. On Tuesday, November 30, Help Hope Live will cover the credit card fee for all online donations for even more impact.

November 29, 2021

We hope this message finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. It’s hard to believe we haven’t seen many of you since the last Love. Live. Give. fundraising event held back in 2019. Many of you have asked about Libby’s health.

In the past two years, Libby has faced many hurdles. She has had six serious illnesses, including two bouts of sepsis, all resulting in hospital stays. We are pleased to report that presently she is doing well. For a while in 2020, she was the healthiest she had been since her accident! (Perhaps social distancing really worked, for a while at least!) Prior to 2020, she had been frequenting Jefferson in Philadelphia, about 45 minutes from her home. Fortunately, she discovered the many wonderful nurses and doctors at Penn’s Chester Country Hospital in West Chester, PA. This location is very close to Libby’s home, making it easier for both her and her family.

It’s been almost 8 years since Libby’s spinal cord injury. As we approach the holiday season, we want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you for being a loyal member of Libby’s loving and supporting community. As you know, the things that come so easy to many of us are no longer easy for Libby with the limitations imposed by her injury. Improving her quality of life continues to be our ultimate goal. Because of your support and generosity, Libby has benefited from having the at-home care from nurse aids to support her with day-to-day tasks and activities; a wheel-chair accessible van; and modifications to her home to accommodate her needs and accessibility. And needless to say, help to cover the many costs associated with her hospital stays not covered by her insurance. These are just a few of the examples of how your donations are put to use.

While we look forward to gathering together again in-person in the future, we want to say thank you, stay well and have a very happy and healthy holiday season.

November 25, 2019

Most recently, Libby had a significant set-back in October. She was hospitalized at Jefferson Hospital where she spent time in the ICU for treatment of pneumonia. With Libby’s diaphragm being impacted by her paralysis, coughing and clearing secretions is very challenging and scary for her. With the proper IV antibiotics and respiratory treatment, Libby was able to be released home and is doing better. And for this, we are grateful! Libby continues to get her strength back and is receiving out-patient therapy.

March 19, 2019

Hello everyone! March 2019

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since the Fifth Annual Love.Live.Give. Fundraiser in

support of Libby Judge. We are happy to report that thanks to all of your love and generous

contributions, Libby continues to make good rehabilitative progress despite enduring many medical

setbacks along the way.

It has been five years since the Ides of March 2014 when Libby suffered her life altering accident. On

her recent anniversary, she commented that no one baked her a cake, sent her a gift, flowers or an

anniversary card! Some things will never change though as Libby still seeks the humor in situations.

The following is a condensed recap of her last year. Libby compares it to being on a seesaw - there

were many ups and downs.

Since Libby and her husband, Joe, have six grandchildren, five boys and one little girl, they spend

many weekends on the sidelines of baseball, football and basketball games cheering for them. In

particular this past year, their daughter Christy’s boys, Hayden (14) and Ryan (13) played on the same

CYO basketball team together. Their games were always very exciting to watch and Libby was so

proud of her grandchildren! She has said there were numerous times that she wanted to jump out of

her wheelchair in the midst of all of the excitement!

Although Libby’s other daughter, Carolyn’s two children, Hudson (3) and Charlotte, aka Charley (1)

are too young to play sports, they visit Libby weekly. Hudson practices on the drum set that Libby

and Joe now regret giving him for Christmas! And Charley acts as if she is in charge of their

household while she is there. :)

Alas, there is life beyond sports. Christy’s youngest son, Mason, entered first grade, joining two of his

older brothers at school. Also, last spring Ryan received his Confirmation and Logan received his

First Communion. Libby is very proud of their many accomplishments and she is so grateful that she

is able to be a part of them.

Libby tries to stay in touch with her many wonderful friends. This year she saw almost every movie

nominated for an Oscar. She foresees a future career as a movie critic. Libby greatly enjoys her

involvement with a weekly women’s bible study group, Walking With Purpose, at Saint Monica’s. She

loves the women she has met there. Also, with Spring around the corner, Libby is looking forward to

resuming strolls in the Park with her walking buddies. She tries to be considerate and not wear

them out. In the past, they have had a difficult time keeping up with her power wheelchair! She

never seems to tire of seeing and being with her friends and ardent supporters. She truly

appreciates all of their love and support.

Unfortunately, one of the many side effects of Libby’s spinal cord injury is severe muscle spasms that

frequently occur throughout her body. These spasms are quite debilitating, extremely painful and

exhausting at times. Thus, Libby opted to have a Baclafen pump implanted in her body. Instead of

taking the maximum dose of the oral medication, this pump disperses a fraction of the amount

directly into her spinal cord, bypassing the brain, liver and kidneys. Post surgery, she spent ten days

rehabilitating at her home away from home, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. Upon completion of her

rehab, Libby acquired a viral upper respiratory infection and a UTI which sent her to Thomas

Jefferson University Hospital for many days of treatment. It is a wonder how Libby perseveres

through these medical challenges and setbacks.

In December 2018, Libby was finally able to resume physical therapy at Bryn Mawr Rehab. Shortly

afterwards though, she gradually began to feel weaker and weaker. In the beginning of February

2019, she was admitted again to the “The Hotel Jefferson”, a nickname that she and Joe have given to

the hospital. Libby’s sodium levels were dangerously low and another UTI was present. She stayed

at TJUH for six days receiving treatment.

Currently, Libby is gradually regaining the strength that she needs to get around. She is optimistic

that she will be on the sidelines of her grandsons’ little league baseball field on Opening Day!

As 2019 gets underway, Libby’s medical and rehabilitation bills continue to accumulate. Please

know that the money that is raised for Libby’s fund provides tremendous assistance in offsetting

the enormous costs of the necessary aides, physical therapy and the unforeseen expenses that

occur due to unexpected illnesses and/or emergencies. Your generous contributions to this fund

are greatly appreciated by Libby and her family since these expenses are much greater than what

Libby’s health insurance covers.

With much love and gratitude,

The Judge Family

March 11, 2019

May 10, 2019! Save the date!

We’ve just announced the date for our 6th Annual Love. Live. Give. fundraiser: Friday, May 10. Please keep an eye on your inbox for details on registration, bidding, and more.

If you’d like to contribute ahead of the event, please feel free to click the big gold Give button right on this page. Donations are tax deductible and fully accountable.

February 26, 2018

Dear Friends,

The time is quickly approaching for our fifth annual Love.Live.Give. event.

This past year we are happy to report that Libby had no major life-threatening illnesses and has stayed out of hospitals! Hooray! After last year’s setbacks she was able to do PT at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation, which is only a stone’s throw away from her home. Once or twice a week she continues to go to Fighting Back. It is a wonderful organization started over twenty years ago by Scott Dillman to initially provide rehab and strengthening to wounded veterans.

Everyone has New Year’s resolutions. After watching the Winter Olympics, Libby is pondering which event she will participate in for the 2022 games. As part of her training she is “riding “her stim bike three times a week. Are there Senior categories? Don’t tell her that there are not.

Exciting news is that in March, Libby is scheduled to have a long-awaited hand surgery. It will give her use of a thumb and index finger, improving her hand function significantly.

The highlight of 2017 for Joe and Libby was the birth of their granddaughter, Charlotte Mary (aka Charley). She is the only princess among five princes. The second highlight was the addition of another female- Zoey. She is now Libby’s nine-month-old, 60-pound, English Cream Golden Retriever, who thinks she’s a lap dog!

April 27th is just around the corner. We hope you will join us for this fundraising event to help with the high annual costs of her care and ongoing rehabilitation. Her achievements (improvements?) would not have been possible if it were not for generosity. The majority of the funds go to help defray the huge amount paid for round the clock people to assist her. We promise a night of friendship, renewed friendships, delicious food, spirits, music and dancing. Look for many auction items, including vacation destinations. Now is such a dreary time of year, why not let yourself dream of a warm location for a respite!

We look forward to seeing many of you on this special night and thank you for supporting Libby in past years.

Sincerely,

Team Libby Judge

April 13, 2015

It's hard to believe it's been over a year since Libby’s car accident on March 15th, 2014, which resulted in a C5, C6 spinal cord injury. Due to the location of her injury, Libby is paralyzed from the chest down, with some movement in her shoulders, biceps, triceps and wrists only. She has limited movement of her hands with no movement in her fingers.

We want to thank you for your love, support and generosity. It's not only helped Libby, but the entire family, get through what was without question the hardest year of our lives. We are very blessed to have such a large and caring community. Thank you again.

The past year+ has been extremely trying for Libby, which included 9 surgeries and 4 different places that became her temporary "home", one if which (Magee) she broke a record for being the longest tenured patient in history (hey, we'll take a win where we can get one!). Libby had to deal with both physical and emotion tragedy, many moments of despair and hopelessness, obstacles, setbacks, frustratingly slow progress, and she did so with grace, a ton of courage, a sense of humor, and amazing support from family and friends. Again, we say thank you.

About 1 month ago, she was fortunate enough to be able to move back home (although very different) to a beautiful addition equipped with modifications to help her adapt to her needs and whole new way of living with her spinal cord injury. She is happy to be home, and still adjusting to it all. Libby has full time nursing care at home and goes to therapy 3x a week. This is all only possible because of the generation donations that have been made by so many over the past year.

Even with insurance, Libby will have many uninsured injury-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, additional therapy, monthly medical supplies, caregiver expenses, home modifications and modified transportation to allow her access to her community, just to name a few. The CDC estimates that an individual living with a spinal cord injury will have between $500,000 and $3 million dollars in lifetime out-of-pocket expenses.

With Love,

Libby's Family

September 12, 2014

It's been a while since the last update, and you're hungry for news of Libby's progress. But first, let's talk about the exciting fundraiser currently underway from September 11-14. It's the $50,000 Waynesborough Invitational Tennis Tournament featuring touring pros, and is presented by The Graham Group, who is providing the prize money. Thanks to their generosity and other corporate and individual sponsors, this event at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, PA is open to the public and free of charge. Play begins Thursday through Saturday at 5 PM with the finals on Sunday. Of special note and interest, Magee Rehab Hospital will have a Wheelchair Exhibition on Saturday 9/13 from 4-5. Please come out for this big social event and enjoy the excitement of these high level players competing. A very grateful and huge THANK YOU to all who poured time, talent, money and energy into this event, proceeds of which will be administered through HelpHOPELive.

Libby feels terribly disappointed that she can't be at Waynesborough for this benefit, and to see and greet old friends and thank her well-wishers. She's still at Magee having just received word that after 5 1/2 months, she'll be discharged soon to a skilled nursing facility. Her stay at Magee has been extended much longer than usual because of her spiking and plummeting blood pressure, a common side effect in SPI patients. She says it will be a bittersweet farewell to leave all the people there, who have become like family. It's also given her an idea for a new show called Reality Rehab, guaranteed to make you laugh and cry!

Last week after a 4-month wait, Libby's new wheels arrived, no, not an SUV, but her new chariot, a motorized wheelchair, a.k.a. "a Quickie." She says laughingly she's only gotten one speeding ticket, which she's trying to get "fixed." According to her, they apparently fix a lot of things at Magee but not tickets. (If you know Libby, you know it's characteristic of her to throw in a lot of humor.)

Joe's busy shopping for a vehicle which will accommodate her chair, then Libby can't wait to drop in expectedly or unexpectedly on friends for lunch or dinner. After 5 months of hospital food, she's ready for new taste treat sensations, so get out your best recipes. (If you know Libby, she doesn't eat much but it has to be Delicious!)

The addition of a bedroom and bathroom is well underway, thanks to many generous and good-hearted folks. Some have donated materials, some their equipment, some their skills and others their back-breaking labor.They face continuing obstacles that have slowed progress, completion is still weeks away. There's a long list of special equipment which will be necessary for Libby's care, for example a motorized lift, a shower chair, a special bed, etc., and much of this has already been ordered. As you can imagine, she's tremendously excited about the idea of going home, and that day can't come fast enough.

In the meantime, five days a week Libby's schedule consists of physical and occupational therapy in the morning and afternoon, with recreational therapy sometimes on the weekend. Recreational therapy has included some instructions on how she might drive a car some Very Distant day in the future. Very Distant for now.

Recently started and very exciting is the electrical stimulation bike Libby's begun using to build muscle. On alternating days for her arms and legs, electrodes are placed specifically on targeted muscles, causing them to fire. Libby brags that with her arms she rode 5.67 miles, and with her legs 4.4. She chuckles saying she pictures herself training for the Tour de France. The e-stim bike is another piece of equipment that's been ordered now for home use, and she's very enthusiastic about her progress and the hope it holds for her future.

In July, the women at Waynesborough held a Ladies Tennis Member/Guest to benefit the HelpHOPELive fund in honor of Libby. Libby and Joe and the entire Judge family are hugely grateful to these wonderful friends and former teammates of Libby's for their support. The donation from the event will go towards the purchase of some necessary equipment, already on order.

Libby sends love and thanks to all for thinking of her, for prayers, phone calls, cards, gifts and donations. Your concern and faith in her have kept up her spirits.

September 10, 2014

Libby's accident on March 15th sparked an outpouring of love and support from her community. A deep love for Libby brought us to where we are today.

The Graham Group pledged funding to Libby's fundraising campaign with a challenge to the community. Huge thanks goes to The Graham Group for their financial commitment, time and energy.

This tournament is the result of that challenge. There has been a contagious and inspirational wave of goodness in response to our event. Your gifts have been overwhelming.

And so, we say Thank-You one and all for your kindness in expressing your LOVE FOR LIBBY! http://www.wcc-tennis.com/

August 18, 2014

With less than a month away to the $50,000 Wayneborough Tennis Tournament, we are nearing our goal, but need your support today to get there for Libby. Every little bit helps -- large or small donations gratefully accepted. Together, we can do this for our Libby!.

August 4, 2014

August 4, 2014

It’s been a while since we shared news, so this will be a long post. Settle in with a cup of coffee and pretend you’re visiting with Libby. You’ll then notice that she wears the pink bracelet “Believe…Libby” from the night of her first fundraiser. It refers to Magee’s credo “Believe in a way back.”

Firstly, the June “Live it up Libby” fundraiser at the Great American Pub sold out and was a big success. Tremendous thanks to all who worked so hard and to the many hundreds who supported it! Secondly, warm thanks also to the 30 women who rallied to support Libby’s cause at the Waynesborough Ladies’ Tennis Member/Guest in July. And thirdly, thanks to the staff at HopeHELPLive for all their behind the scenes assistance.

Libby is not comfortable as the center of attention. She wants you to know that your generosity humbles her but your caring uplifts her. She is deeply grateful. (Thank-you notes are slow in coming, but they are coming!)

August 1st marked Libby’s fourth month at Magee Rehab on Race Street in Philadelphia. She feels very fortunate to be there for this length of time and to be receiving such wonderful medical care from her incredibly skilled and caring team of six doctors, numerous nurses, therapists, and nutritionists. Nowhere else would she get this level of care. She’s very much hoping to be there another month.

Libby wants you to know that she’s made progress during her recovery, but not without some discouraging setbacks. She’s had to leave Magee for tests, procedures, and several surgeries at other hospitals, before being readmitted to Magee. Each time she’s readmitted, she’s very grateful and relieved to be back there benefiting from their expert care.

Over the course of the last few months, her respirator and then her traec have been removed. She’s also been measured for her custom wheelchair, which hopefully will be delivered this month. Libby and Joe have been advised on all the medical equipment purchases that they eventually will have to make to help with her care once she returns home. Plans to add a hospital room and handicap accessable bathroom on their house proceed slowly, but are underway.

You’ll be glad to know that through this long ordeal, Libby retains her trademark sense of humor. A recent visitor was heard to exclaim, “Libby, you look amazingly beautiful! What’s your secret?” Without pause, Libby quipped, “bedrest.” Those of you who know her will not be surprised to learn that she has shown amazing grace during these many trying months.

Libby’s daily routine consists of physical therapy in the morning for 1½ hours and occupational therapy in the afternoon for 1½ hours, with education classes incorporated throughout the sessions. These therapies are vital to her timely progress.

Libby continues to fight on, but she’s had several serious setbacks that have interrupted her therapies. The first was her bedsore. We'll spare you the details, but after many weeks of it not responding to treatment, Libby had flap surgery at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden. Upon returning to Magee, the bedsore responded to six weeks of IV antibiotics, four weeks of complete bed rest, and Libby’s being turned very carefully every two hours so as not to tear the staples. Success, thank goodness! This sore would have taken two years to heal on its own.

Libby is getting up to speed now and learning to adapt to the curves and bumps along the road, literally and metaphorically. A highlight of her time at Magee was her roadtrip outside the hospital. After strapping her into a wheelchair with meticulous care, her therapists took her out to negotiate the sidewalks, cross the streets and feel the uneven movement of her chair on the grass. While out, Libby was thrilled to buy a cup of coffee at a corner café. And she talked hopefully of a day in the future when she would wheel herself across a field to watch her grandsons play ball.

Libby’s therapies have recently been interrupted again as she now battles extreme and frightening fluctuations in her blood pressure, and body temperature, called autonomic dysreflexia. This condition is defined in the Paralysis Resource Guide as “a potentially dangerous reaction that includes high blood pressure, sweating, chills, headache, which may occur in persons with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) above the 6th thoracic level (T6).” These episodes, besides being scary, are restrictive, debilitating, discouraging and disruptive when they interfere with her therapy. She’s anxious to make every moment at Magee count and take every advantage of being there.

Libby thanks everyone for his/her support, kindness, cards, gifts and messages. Each of you contribute to her faith and hope in a happy future. Please keep her in your prayers.

May 20, 2014

Mom's "flap" surgery got moved up to May 22nd, instead of May 29th as originally scheduled. All good!

May 19, 2014

Hello! Mom is doing well. The surgery on her wound on May 1 went well, they removed all dead tissue. They are taking care of the wound to keep it clean and healthy. She will get a 2nd surgery on her wound, a "flap" surgery, on May 29. They basically take healthy tissue and muscle and place it in the wound to help with healing. The nurse mentioned she will likely have to stay in bed for about 6-8 weeks for the healing to take place-- which will be a challenge to say the least. Her spirits are up, she is doing her best every day. Rehab takes a lot out of her, but she enjoys her sessions and is working hard. She loves all of your cards filling her in on what's going on outside of Magee! They keep her in the loop. Thanks for your continued support. You are all a big part of her recovery.

Hope to see many of you on June 6th at her Live it Up! event!

May 13, 2014

All: If you plan to attend Live it Up on June 6th, which we really hope you do, we ask that you please purchase tickets online in ADVANCE of the event. Thank you!

Live it Up! in honor of Libby Judge

Friday, June 6th

Great American Pub

Conshohocken, PA

6pm-11pm

May 1, 2014

****SAVE THE DATE****

Fundraising Event for Libby Judge

Friday, June 6, 2014, 6pm-11pm

Great American Pub in Conshohocken, PA

Silent Auction & Door Prizes

Featuring Chico's Vibe!!!

DETAILS TO COME & REGISTRATION TO OPEN NEXT WEEK!

April 23, 2014

Surgery got moved again to May 1.

The infection is in the bone. She is on medications to help rid the infection.

Please keep saying prayers!

April 23, 2014

Mom's surgery got moved to Tuesday of next week when the hospital has vacancy.

April 22, 2014

Hi All,

Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter.

Update on Mom:

There has been no change in the status of her paralysis.

She has been upgraded to an electric wheelchair and can get around a little bit more within Magee.

She is on a regular house diet now, she can eat and drink normally again.

She has not been on the ventilator in weeks. Her trach will be removed in the near future (timing TBD, maybe week(s)?). She needs to get strong enough to cough on her own, then they can remove it.

She has a concerning pressure ulcer (bed sore). The doctors have been monitoring this sore closely. It's now very deep and at the bone. They will perform surgery this week. This is certainly another bump in the road and very discouraging.

The OTs & PTs spend a lot of time stretching her body and working on her upper body balance. She is limited on certain things due to the severity and position of her pressure ulcer. The OTs are teaching her ways on how to use her phone, iPad, etc. This is a very slow recovery process.

She loves the docs and nurses - everyone is great and has a positive attitude.

Many of you may have questions about the fundraiser and HelpHOPELive.org in general.

Good link to visit is FAQ: http://www.helphopelive.org/about/faqs.cfm

If you need specific information about the fundraising campaign we set up to help cover Mom's uninsured medical expenses, please let me know and I likely have paperwork to provide.

Email: [email protected]

Thank you all for continue to care, love and pray.

Carolyn