Virtually in touch

Eric Leake

Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | 4:23 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

October 2 - 3, 2004

Judi Ginsberg's twin granddaughters answered her questions as though they were having an everyday conversation.

"Hi girls, how are you?" Fine.

"What'd you do today?" Nothing.

The exchange was anything but everyday and was a comfort for Judi, 63, as she recovered from surgery in St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Siena Campus last Saturday.

She was propped up in bed, seeing and speaking with her granddaughters via an Internet videoconference. They were lying on a living room floor in a Chicago suburb, propped on their elbows.

"I feel good and I want you to know that," Judi told the 9-year-old girls, Erin and Hannah. "By the time you kids come for Thanksgiving I'll be all over the place for you, OK?"

"OK," they said.

Judi's son Michael Ginsberg, the girls' father, is a computer consultant. He set up the videoconference using Web cameras over a wireless broadband Internet connection, not only for Judi to see her granddaughters but also for them to see her and to know that she is all right.

It was not the first time technology played a role in the relationship between grandmother and granddaughters. When the girls were just two hours old, in 1995, Michael took pictures of them and posted them on the Web. Judi didn't know how to use the Internet then. So she went to a new kind of cafe, one that sold coffee and Internet access, to see the new arrivals.

"Talking with clients is one thing, and that's business," Michael Ginsberg said. "But being able to use this technology so my children can actually see their grandma ... It is a real rewarding opportunity."

Michael, his sister and her two teenage daughters, and Bob Ginsberg -- Judi's husband of 44 years -- joined Judi for the conference in her private room.

"This stuff blows me away, absolutely blows me away," Bob said as he watched Judi and the girls talk about movies and karate lessons.

Judi had been looking forward to visiting with her granddaughters since she got out of surgery, he said. "This has helped her wellness, believe me."

Judi said she is not much more tech-savvy now than when her granddaughters were born -- she called a hand-held computer a "little thingy" -- but her son fills that need. Michael also created a Web site to give friends access to photos, updates and a guest book.

Judi was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She had surgery Sept. 22 to repair her spine using rib bone and titanium after a portion was removed where cancer had reappeared.

She said last week that she felt pretty good and was on her feet. "I just have real strong stamina and don't give in to anything." But she said she would take her time recovering and going through therapy before getting back to work at Dillard's in the Galleria at Sunset mall.

As of the videoconference, Judi's Web site had attracted more than 250 hits and 30 postings wishing Judi a quick and full recovery. She said she had not heard from some well-wishers in decades.

Bob said that letting the site handle correspondence was a relief. "It takes all the burden off us," he said. "It was a wonderful idea."

Judi added that one relative said it was the next best thing to a visit. " 'It's like being there without the hugs,' that's what she said."