Bugel Leaves Team To Join Daughter

Buges was just on George Michael.

Doesn't look good.

Says she's in end stage, not eating, heavily medicated and barely conscious.

Looks time for more prayin'.

J-Dawg.

F... cancer. Seriously. I hate that stuff.

Thats horrible. Thoughts and prayers with bugle and his family. Does anyone know how old Holly is? Does she have any children of her own?

I think she's around 35 or so. Don't remember if she has kids

I think she's around 35 or so. Don't remember if she has kids


I couldn't find any information on children status.....but nice read.

Bugel handling his daughter's fight by doing what he knows best | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com (http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/bugel-handling-his-daughters-fight-doing-what-he-knows-best)


Bugel met with Gibbs, he said, two days before Gibbs announced his second retirement from coaching. They went to breakfast at Landsdowne Resort in Leesburg, where Gibbs told him of his plans.
"He said, 'You're not going to talk me out of it,'" Bugel said. "We shared a few tears."
Gibbs then told Bugel, "You're going to stay a Redskin the rest of your life. Mr. Snyder has an affection for you. You should stay on."
The family felt the same way, including Holly.
"We had a family meeting and the consensus was, 'Keep workin', Dad,'" Bugel said.
"Joe just basically said, 'I'm good at working, making money and you're good at taking care of the family,'" said Bugel's wife, Brenda, by telephone from Houston. "He's right. That's sort of how it's been for 39 years."
They met in 1969, in the sports information office of Western Kentucky University, where Bugel coached and Brenda worked as a secretary.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Are you married?'" Brenda recalled.
The wedding came three months later.
"We didn't even know each other," Brenda said. "We kind of grew up together."
They had three girls: Angie, 38, Holly, 35, and Jennifer, 31. But nothing in four decades - not the life changes or the pressures of the itinerant coaching world - prepared them for the news that rocked their family two years ago, when Bugel was pulled off the practice field and took Brenda's call in Gibbs' office.
Osteosarcoma was the diagnosis. Nearly 1,000 people had a similar form of bone cancer in 2007, according to the American Cancer Society. But the strain Holly is infected with is so rare, just five cases had been diagnosed last year, the Bugels said.
"It's a strong one," Brenda said. "We do need to sit down with the doctor and ask about the future. At some point, you run out of options and can't treat it anymore. But right now, we're fighting it with all we got."
The family, which lives near Phoenix, rented Holly an apartment in Houston, near the University of Texas' M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, among the country's most prominent and aggressive treatment centers.
She has taken part in several clinical trials but, after periods of improvement, the medication always needs to be changed. Holly can no longer undergo chemotherapy and constantly deals with anemia, a side effect from the medication.
She spent last Monday night in an emergency room, where she waited for two blood transfusions, which took four hours.
"There's really nothing Joe can do here right now," Brenda said. "He'd just pile up extra expenses, flying back and forth. I think (continuing to coach) is good for him because it keeps him busy."
Bugel has found much comfort in Ashburn, a place where grief and sadness took up residence for most of 2007.
In January of last year, Gibbs' grandson, Taylor, now 3 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia - though Taylor is gradually getting better. Last fall, Shawn Springs' father, the former NFL player Ron Springs, slipped into a coma and is still on life support. Sean Taylor's murder during a botched robbery attempt last November precipitated the most sorrowful days in franchise history.
"You talk about bringin' people together," Bugel said. "That's what happened out here."
Barring setbacks, Brenda, Angie and Jennifer are planning to take Holly to Las Vegas for her birthday next month, a sign that "nobody's surrendered. We're all pushing hard," Bugel said.
The coach will stay with the team, unless the disease worsens for Holly, who shares the M.D. Anderson Center with many children coping with similar diseases.
"She realizes she can't feel for herself because you see little kids walking around with their heads shaved," Bugel said. "She said to me, 'Hey, Dad, don't feel sorry. Somebody has my future ahead of me.'"

Buges is one hell of a man.

It aint fair.

It just aint fair.

J-Dawg.