Lydia’s Story

Site created on April 21, 2022

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the love and support I’ve received already. I realize there are lots of questions about what’s going on, so this site will be a place for me to explain what we know so far and provide updates.

In early April, I was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that affects the immune system. Fortunately, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is one of the most treatable types of cancer, and my prognosis is very good. I will be starting chemotherapy in early May, with the goal of being cancer-free in 6 months. I will be updating this site periodically during those 6 months as new information becomes available.

Thank you for reading💜

Newest Update

A minor setback

Journal entry by Lydia Schmidtke —

Hi everyone,

So today was supposed to be the last treatment, but there’s been a bit of a setback. A couple weeks ago, the day before I was supposed to have a treatment, I tested positive for COVID. Obviously, that meant I couldn’t have treatment for a while, so everything got pushed back. My 2nd-to-last treatment is today, and then my last one is now on November 1st. 

COVID sucked. I had chills and a fever for several days, and I was throwing up too. I couldn’t keep water down for a while, and I was so thirsty. I didn’t get much sleep either because I was constantly too hot or too cold. Fortunately, I don’t think I’m dealing with any longer-term effects of COVID other than just a sucky few days. I’m very thankful for that.

I’ll post another longer update after my next treatment, I just wanted to give an update about the schedule setback and let everyone know that I’m feeling ok after COVID. 

Thank you so much to everyone who’s brought food, sent cards, and sent texts of prayers, well-wishes, support, and encouragement. It truly means so much to me.


- Lydia

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