Indiana University Athletics
Pete Schmidt Addresses the Media
9/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
September 1, 2000
Transcripts from Assistant Head Coach Pete Schmidt Press Conference on September 1
Bloomington, Ind. -- Assistant Head Coach Pete Schmidt addressed the media on Friday, September 1, on how he is feeling, here is part of the transcripts from that press conference:
Question: How are you feeling now?
Well, every four weeks I go back for another treatment and that takes four days in the hospital. Then, the matter of recovery time from that. So, I am trying to do as much football work as I can do in between those treatments depending on how I feel. Those treatments are pretty rugged. They take three or four days of recovery time from those right now.
Question: Are those treatments chemo?
Yes, this time its a different type of chemo treatment and this time it is a different protocol that we got out of Washington D.C. It seems to be working quite well but they're a rough go.
Question: Did they find more spots or what exactly did they do?
They killed a lot of the cells but there is a group of resistant cells that they are having trouble getting at. Hopefully, this is going to get at that resistant group of cells. That's been the biggest thing.
Question: In terms of being able to help coach, is it just a matter of not having the energy to do it?
Absolutely, there is a fatigue factor that is just tremendous. I fight that all the time. I've got some supplemental diets that are going to help with that but you just fight the fatigue and it's just overwhelming at times.
Question: You hear about the side effects sometimes how difficult is it, does it involve not being able to eat?
This type of chemo treatment, I tolerated all the other ones pretty well but this one, I actually went ten days without any solid food and that was rough recovering from that. Hopefully the next one I'll be able to tolerate a little bit better and, with some other supplements, keep some food down. But between the nausea and the diarrhea it just takes a lot out of you.
Question: Have you started looking at film?
I've looked at a little bit of practice film already when I get a chance and I'll do as much as I can in terms of watching film, game film and game preparation at home especially. Obviously I'd like to get in the office and do more but it's hard.
Question: How long are the current chemo treatments going to continue?
There are four cycles with three-week breaks in between each one. There are three more to go.
When is the next one?
Sunday, September 10.
When will the treatments be over then, the end of October?
We would anticipate sometime in November. They'll probably do some final tests in December.
How many rounds of treatment has this been now?
Well, I went through one protocol here that didn't work. I went through a stem-cell transplant and really didn't have a chance to recover from that and (former) Senator Birch Bayh came up with this new treatment program from Washington that we're working on right now and it's a good one. It's tough.
Is that Washington, DC?
Yes
Is that Johns Hopkins, is that where it originated?
I do not know where it originated.
Where are the treatments?
The treatments are here. The lymphoma center at Washington has worked very closely with Dr. Miller, who is my oncologist here in Bloomington and who has done a great job.
Q: Senator Bayh lost his first wife with cancer. Has he remained involved in cancer causes and research?
It sure seems like it. He's such a great man. He just visits my hospital room and he just would do anything for me to help me in any way. I can't say enough about him.
Pete, when you first found out about this, what were the symptoms or what initially led you to go see a doctor?
Well it happened in October and we were at Iowa and I had a lot of hip pain and couldn't sleep. We had one of our orthopedic doctors look at that and he didn't really know what it was. He had me come in Monday for an MRI and they found something wasn't right with the test there. After a few more batteries of tests they found that this was the problem.
What was your initial reaction? Was this something that was in your family or anything like that?
No, there's no trace in my family, no history. I really don't know. Obviously your initial reaction is pretty tough when they stand there and tell you you're not going to coach the rest of the year and miss the last two games. It was extremely difficult.
How do you feel now?
Right now, I'm just battling fatigue more than anything. Everyone here at Indiana has been great. Cam has been absolutely great and they've done everything they can do. I'm just doing what the doctors tell me and believe in the treatment and trying to get this thing licked.
Do you find it helpful to remain as involved as you can and have something to focus on?
Yeah it really does. It takes your mind off that focus if you can get involved in that a little bit and of course it helps your outlook with that.
Have you been able to look much at this year's team?
I've looked at film but I haven't seen practice. Of course they were at Marshall and everything and I wasn't able to go there so hopefully I'm going to be able to watch the scrimmage tonight a little bit and get a closer look and a little closer evaluation and get my two cents worth in anyway.
At this point would you describe yourself as encouraged, depressed, or what?
Well you run the whole gamut of emotions that go on and off with you. I'm encouraged. I'm feeling better with these treatments than I am with some of the others even though I'm pretty fatigued. That is a good sign and they've really reduced some of the areas that were swollen with this treatment so they've had great success with it in Washington. They're very optimistic with it so I'm encouraged. One good thing is I've got a great belief in the doctor I have. He's attacking it.
What's his name?
Dr. Allan Miller
Miller is a bulldog.
Is he at Bloomington Hospital?
He has his own practice here in Bloomington. Right near the hospital.
When you undergo these initial treatments did it knock you out immediately and then you slowly get better or is it a day or two and then you start feeling better?
Well the treatment now takes 96 hours straight so it doesn't feel very good the whole time. The other ones I recovered from very quickly in between treatments but this one is a little different.
You talked about being fatigued, how many hours a day are you sleeping?
Of course you don't sleep that much because it is hard to sleep at night because you've laid around all day. It's just a matter of getting up and moving around and when you don't have much stamina to get to the refrigerator and get back to the chair. You sit down and you're winded. It's been beyond what I originally expected because I handled the other ones so well. This one has been more debilitating than I really had anticipated.
Are you able to rest in your chair?
Absolutely, I do as much by phone as I can, talking with people.
How are your wife and others involved been?
The whole time they have been good. It has been difficult on my wife. She's been taking care of me since October (1999). She's been a real trooper. I probably feel worse for her than anything else than she's had to go through to take care of me. I was a very independent person who did everything on my own and who wouldn't let anyone else do anything for me. It was even harder for me to put all my focus on myself, something I had never done before. And to let other people help me. That was difficult.
Do stories like Lance Armstrong being able to comeback from cancer provide inspiration?
All those stories do. You've got to believe that it is going to work . I think that has been proven and I don't think you've got a chance if you don't believe. Certainly and there is hope for everybody, even though they have a different type of a cancer. I firmly believe that I can get this thing licked.
How important is keeping a positive outlook?
It is totally related to your health, in terms of eating right and everything you can control. I've lost a lot of weight, obviously, and trying to get that back you feel better. It really helps your attitude. It helps you feel more 'normal' in terms of that fatigue being there. I was just reading that 62% of cancer patients die from malnutrition, more than anything else.
When was the last football season that you've been away?
I've been coaching for 31 years and never missed a day of work. That was really hard. I've never been sick so to get hit with that at the Iowa game was pretty devestating for me.
You've been talking about keeping a positive outlook, do you have faith in a higher power?
You realize the number one thing is your faith and number two is your family and your friends. After that, there is not really a whole lot that matters when it comes down to this deal. I have been really fortunate to have boxes and boxes of letters, cards, and notes and phone calls that have added so much support which has been fantastic.
