The cove where I recently went swimming.

This past year, I did not endure the health challenges I did in 2024. Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing either. In January of this year, I began using a GLP-1 weight loss medication. I had some very unpleasant side effects, which led to an ER visit. I also had struggles related to the breast cancer treatment I underwent a year ago.

I soldered on and tried not to blame myself for getting to this place. I don’t know whom to credit for the paragraph above, but it spoke to me. I was determined to heal and thrive again.

In March, I visited my daughter in Minnesota. Taking that trip alone was a big deal for me. After having torn my meniscus last year, it was especially huge. I pictured myself as a warrior – just walking through the airport.

My beautiful daughter!

Then in May, I cautiously started playing tennis again. It lasted a few months, until my knee began hurting again. It was discouraging. The orthopedic doctor told me that I had very little “tread” left on my kneecaps. When the pain became unbearable, then I could consider knee replacement. Just hearing that sent shivers up my spine. My determination to lose weight increased and I completely adjusted my eating habits. I was exhausted, but also enthused. Just finding the mindset to do this had taken me years and I embraced it fully.

Since it was sometimes painful to walk, I upped my lap swimming. Almost every day, I was in the pool and it saved me.

One day, a high school friend named Steve posted on Facebook about swimming with a group at La Jolla beach. That intrigued me. I had loved swimming in the ocean when I was young, but as I got older – the cold water discouraged me. A few times, I had gone scuba diving in warmer waters, but that was a rare occurrence.

I hadn’t seen Steve in over 45 years and commented on one of his posts. He responded by telling me to let him know anytime I was in the area – he would happily guide me on an ocean swim.

Steve would map out his swims and this one happened at midnight!

I was amazed at this post of the La Jolla swimmers on New Year’s Day. They gathered for their annual Polar Bear swim.

Over the next two years, several trips to San Diego were cancelled for different reasons. Each time I was disappointed, but I told myself I would get there. I was determined!

And so this summer, I planned a visit to see my dear friend, Tali in San Diego. We hung out together for a few days and she devoted her time to making my visit comfy and fun. Tali was encouraging and truly a wonderful cheerleader. On my second day, we went to her nearby YMCA where I was able to continue my lap swimming regimen. Instead of doing my usual 30 laps, I did 60. I was ready!

My adventurous ocean swim was scheduled for the next day. A month earlier, I had contacted Steve to discuss the plan. He told me that afterwards Tali and I could join him at his club across the street for a Jacuzzi soak. That sounded amazing.

Even though I was still limping a little with my bad knee, I was confident about my swimming ability. I could do this! I wondered how the cold water would impact me. (The ocean temperature was 69 degrees on the day I swam.)

The first sign that the stars were aligned was Tali finding us a close parking space. I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to walk far and things were going great.

Tali was cute – she had me pose putting on sunscreen so I could create a future documentary. While I swam, she planned to take a nice walk and keep her eyes on me.

As I exited the car, I was assaulted by a horrible smell. This area was filled with sea lions and birds; it was literally a wildlife sanctuary. There were even baby seals splashing right next to the swimmers.

A seal playfully visiting with another swimmer.

Steve arrived a few minutes later. He looked no different than I remembered him back in the days when we attended religious school together. Tali and I were in the same class with him. Just the thought that the three of us were reuniting at this moment so many decades later was incredible!

Steve, myself, and Tali before our swim.

I was very relaxed before going in!

I was glad that I wasn’t too nervous; I only hoped I could do this without hurting myself. Steve pointed across the bay to a building in the distance. We would be swimming in that direction. He told me we might see some harmless tiger sharks, and added that on rare occasions he had even seen a sea turtle.

The steep staircase into the water.

To get into the ocean, we descended a steep cement staircase to the water below. It was high tide and the last step was a big jump for me. I couldn’t do it. I sat down and slid off the step on my tush. I was slapped by a wave when I landed and prepared myself to swim when Steve said ready. My heart was pounding.

I was in. The first thing I noticed was that the water didn’t feel cold to me. As we swam past the waves, I saw seals swimming underneath and bright orange Garibaldi fish were everywhere. It was a beautiful distraction as I focused on my strokes.

I kept swimming and swimming. Steve was nearby and I tried not to run into his feet. Every so often, I would stop, float, and chat with him.

On the above video, you can hear a sea lion barking!

There was a buoy in the distance signifying ¼ mile. I aimed in that direction with him.

As I swam, the waves kept lifting me up and then tossing me down. My stomach began churning. This was crazy – I realized I was getting seasick. The motion was unrelenting and I tried to push through my intense queasiness.

But with each kick and arm paddle, I felt more and more seasick. I did not want to throw up! When I stopped swimming, it didn’t help. The waves kept lifting me up and dropping me. It was awful.

Steve asked me how I was doing and I told him I was feeling nauseous. He was understanding and said, “It’s a bit rough out today. Normally it isn’t this bad.”

He said we would head back and he would show me the nearby sea caves on the way. All I could think about was avoiding throwing up! As we came closer to shore where the caves were, the waves became stronger. I took deep breaths and focused on every stroke.

Steve said that with high tide it would be risky to swim through them. Normally, it was fairly simple. I listened with only one thought in my mind – to get back on land!

The next twenty minutes were an exercise in sheer determination. Steve explained that there were rocks underneath and once I reached the soft sand – there was no time to hang around. I would need to hike up the beach or the waves would pull me back.

I used every ounce of effort to get there and gratefully stumbled up the beach. I clung to a cement wall for at least ten minutes with my heart pounding. It was a herculean effort to get back onto the staircase. Steve tried to pull me up, but I couldn’t do it. Finally, when my panic subsided – I turned and slowly shimmied on my butt up the staircase. After awhile, I made my way to a bench where I collapsed. Oh my goodness, would I ever do this again?

I have a huge smile because I am so happy I made it through!
(and without throwing up)

Steve congratulated me. I just kept hoping the queasiness would end. Tali excitedly joined us. We crossed the street to get to where the club and Jacuzzi were. I was very shaky.

Soaking in the warm water was soothing and I started feeling better. I was quiet and preferred listening to Steve and Tali catch up. My ears to perked up when Steve mentioned he swam the English Channel, New York Harbor and more. He said that serious swimmers did not use wetsuits because that would disqualify them. A wetsuit added buoyancy, which was considered an unfair advantage. He swam all year without one and proudly told me that his license plate was “NOWETSUT.”

I couldn’t believe how humble Steve was about his swimming achievements. I really appreciated that he had shared his ocean enthusiasm with me. Another woman from his group had also joined us and it was her second swim of the day. Now that was passion!

I came home and enjoyed sharing pictures and videos of my adventure with friends. However, until writing this post, I don’t think too many people really knew what it took for me to do it.

I knew I’d write about this experience and kept trying to come up with a good title. The first idea that came to me was “fragile warrior,” and it really fit. I was definitely fragile.

But there was a lot of strength inside me that I could be proud of!

I can’t believe it’s a year since my 65^th birthday. I had a lovely party and would like to share an excerpt of my speech:

This year has been particularly challenging for me.

I could write my own series named “The Crown.” I had three wisdom teeth extracted, and I certainly wasn’t wise in keeping them so long. My brow lift in May was definitely an eye opener – in a good way. Pain-wise, my torn meniscus was probably the worst. I had hoped my knee issue would “cap off” all my challenges. But there was more. It was “crappy” going through a colonoscopy, but everything came out okay. And just when I thought I was “abreast” of everything, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Well, I took my lumps. I’m very thankful it was early stage. 

With each health challenge, I’ve found myself saying, “What’s next?” I think that’s a whole lot better than, “Why me?”

Judy in Minnesota spring of ’25.

I believe that what is next for me is a beautiful new beginning!