Until this past summer, senior Evelyn Oehler lived life like any other senior.
She prepared for her final year in high school at Oshkosh North, worried only about participating one last time in North’s school’s major social events: Sports season, Homecoming, and Prom.
However, Evelyn woke up one morning in the beginning of August and noticed a lump on her collarbone.
“At first, I thought it was a pulled muscle, but it continued to fluctuate in size over time. I then raised my concerns to a doctor, and after a bunch of tests, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL) affects the lymphatic system which is part of the body’s immune system, and begins when there is a change to the DNA of a lymphocyte, a type of white blood cell. That then mutated cell travels along the immune system, attacking anything and everything it can. There are many different subtypes that can cause more or less symptoms, and make treatment more difficult or easier. There are also different stages to HL, stages 1-4, stage 4 being the most serious.
Little to Evelyn’s knowledge, the diagnosis would change her life forever.
Now, she wakes up at about 8:30 in the morning, making sure she gets good sleep, as her chemotherapy has left her with side effects like fatigue. She also has to take a number of medications for her chemotherapy, and some for other health related issues. The rest of the morning, she rests and listens to what her body is telling her.
Evelyn likes to be active, but with HL, it makes it harder to be as active. She likes to get off the couch, even if she is just walking around her house. It’s still getting up and being active.
She thinks the worst part is probably the unknown.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so I don’t know what to expect on a daily basis. I absolutely trust all my doctors and am very thankful for the care I am receiving,” said Evelyn.
So far, Evelyn’s after-school routine has not changed significantly. She says there’s not a lot of a difference to her new night routine, but she does try to get to sleep earlier. She also has to take medicines for her chemotherapy. Then she is off to bed.
Chemotherapy for HL is usually about six rounds, but can vary. Chemotherapy is used to stop or slow down the growth of the cancer cells, which grow and divide rapidly. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss, fatigue, diarrhea, and even mouth and throat sores. Chemotherapy can be given orally, by an IV injection, into the arteries, and topically among other methods. However, Evelyn will only be going through 4 possibly 5 rounds of chemo, and treatment affects everyone differently.
“It definitely affects me a lot, as it makes me nauseous and really tired,” Evelyn said
Evelyn has always been a very active teenager. However, now she feels like she is bound to her couch and unable to do the things she enjoys. She tries to keep her routine as normal as possible, but now her body only allows her to so much.
“These next few months will be far from normal, but it’s necessary for me to kick some cancer booty,” said Evelyn.
Evelyn’s life now as a normal senior will be much different than the rest of the Class of 2024.
“My life will be one crazy roller coaster. My number one priority is to get better and focus on my health. Chemotherapy has many side effects, and I will most likely be exhausted and sick most of the time. Although it will be difficult, I have an amazing support system that I can lean on if I need anything at all.”
Evelyn would like to share a message with everyone thanking everyone for the support they have given and showed her.
“I want to thank everyone who has reached out and sent me well wishes. I appreciate every single person, and I can’t believe I have such an amazing group of people behind me. Also, thank you to Natalie Gray for writing this article and sharing my GoFundMe and CarinBridge. More updates to come soon,” Evelyn said.
Here are the links to Evelyn’s Gofundme and her Carinbridge to keep up to date with her story and possibly even donate some money to help her and her family afford the hospital bills and her travel fees.
