Life, Episode 40: The One Where Lydia Gets Cancer

Hello friends and gracious people of the internet: My name is Lydia, I just turned 40, and I have cancer. I need help paying for current medical bills and ongoing treatment.

On July 3rd, 2024, I was officially diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. This is also what is called stage 4 cancer, considered an incurable disease. What I initially thought was an unfortunate inconvenience that I would be done with in a year - maybe two - turned out to be a rest-of-my-life long-term project.

As you can imagine, I was devastated. I am devastated.

But I also remain optimistic, as I feel pretty good and I am receiving excellent care at City of Hope hospital.

It may sound odd, but I’m so incredibly lucky. I’m lucky to live in a big city with multiple renowned hospitals that are leaders in cancer research. I’m lucky to have my partner Taylor to support me when I need more rest, and lucky to have a caring and supportive family. I’m lucky because I just so happened to purchase a better insurance plan last year because I thought I was going to be addressing other health issues, and that insurance has been covering a lot of my bills.

With that being said, the bills are still coming. And I am here to humbly ask for your help. Hopefully I won’t be going anywhere for a while. But I want to make the most of whatever time I have left.

With your help, I know I can make this chapter of my life a good one in spite of my diagnosis. I love you all, you mean more to me than you could ever know. Thank you.