Luke Schmaedeke is a brave twenty-one-year-old who has a deep love for sports – specifically golf and baseball. When Luke isn’t playing himself, you can find him playing the PGA Tour 2K21 video game, fishing, or watching one of his all-time favorite athletes, Tiger Woods.
When Luke was just 19, he spontaneously took a genetic test which indicated that he was predisposed to have cancer. Immediately thereafter an MRI showed a small mass which turned out to be Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC).
Luke and his medical team at the National Institute of Health (NIH) acted quickly and Luke underwent surgery to remove part of his kidney. Initially, Luke and his family were anxious but came to believe “knowledge is power”. Due to his diagnosis, Luke faces daily challenges living with anxiety, depression, and PTSD but he doesn’t let this hold him back from living life to the fullest! He is able to play golf and baseball again and is currently attending Hamline University where he is studying sports marketing!
Luke’s sports dream is to spend a day watching a professional golfer. He would love to learn about the mental and physical strength it takes to be a successful professional athlete.
Dream On 3 appreciates the organization, Driven to Cure, and its Founder, Bruce Lee. Bruce and his son Andrew, who also battled HLRCC and sadly passed away in 2019, formed the organization to help others battling HLRCC and participated in research to help find cures. Driven to Cure recommended Luke for a Dream Experience.
