Donate to Morgan's Medical Journey

Dear Friends and Family,

Morgan is a survivor in every sense of the word. You may know Morgan from the community, school, or her published memoir, Carpenter Road Sentenced to Silence. We have known Morgan most of her life. I worked with Morgan at a local restaurant when she was 16. Kathy has also worked with Morgan, and Morgan and Kathy’s daughter attended school together. Together, we have laughed, cried, and fought alongside her. You will be shocked and inspired if you are unfamiliar with her story. Kathy and I feel compelled to help Morgan because she has spent her life helping others in so many ways.

Morgan fell victim to the worst evil that a child can face. She was brutally raped, beaten, and tortured by her best friend’s father for eight years. Morgan was terrified to speak up or tell an adult. She felt her life and the lives of the other victims depended on her silence. During the years of abuse, Morgan suffered multiple injuries that were mainly left untreated. To date, Morgan has had to endure 14 surgeries from the abuse alone. One injury, in particular, damaged her mouth, throat, and esophagus. She underwent a horrific surgery twenty-some years ago. Still, she was informed that “only so much could be done” to repair the damage and that she would ultimately endure lifelong issues and require more intervention. However, Morgan persevered and fought with everything she had to overcome her injuries and the trauma, which left her with complex PTSD, Anxiety, depression, multiple phobias, and many medical issues.

Simple things like talking, eating, swallowing, and breathing are extremely painful for Morgan, but you would never know this as she hardly complains or speaks about it. Approximately a year and a half ago, Morgan’s ability to breathe and swallow became significantly compromised, and she had another procedure with additional interventions. The outcome bought her some time, but in May of this year, she began to decline again and went through another procedure trying to regain the ability to swallow. Unfortunately, the procedure failed, and she could not eat solid foods. Within two weeks, Morgan developed aspiration pneumonia, a common side effect of her condition. And if you know Morgan, you know that she pushed through it and continued her rigorous caretaking schedule for the elderly and her cherished animals.

While walking home from caring for her furry friends, Morgan collapsed in the field. Usually, Morgan travels with her German Shepherd, Bella. But on this day, she left her in the yard. Somehow, Bella knew Morgan was in grave danger and alerted a neighbor who found her unconscious in the field. Her esophagus had collapsed, making it difficult to get air. After many days in the hospital, it was decided that eating was too dangerous, and she underwent another surgery to place a PEG feeding tube into her stomach. After much discussion with her doctors, they felt it was best for her to seek treatment at Cleveland Clinic, where they are equipped to manage complex cases. Her care team has assessed Morgan’s condition and has devised an approach to (hopefully) save her esophagus and regain the ability to eat normally. This will require multiple trips to Cleveland for testing, procedures, and extensive surgery. Once they have determined the damage, they will decide which surgery is necessary. The rehabilitation process will be long and painful. Once the team feels it is safe to eat, Morgan will undergo the procedure to remove her feeding tube.

We very much want to help her as she has helped and cared for so many others, and your generous donation will go towards…

• Medical bills- past, current, and future, upwards of $30,000

• Loss of BCBS medical coverage starting October 31st, 2024.

• Travel Expenses and accommodations back and forth to Cleveland.

• Living expenses from inability to work.

We invite you to show your support in the following ways:

• Prayers, sending positive thoughts, and words of encouragement – hearing from you means the world to Morgan.

• Donate—Contributions to this GoFundMe will help with the financial strain of this long and challenging battle. No amount is too small.

• Share this Campaign—The more support and love we can show her and her family, the better!

Your kindness is beyond and will never be forgotten.

Bless you,

Iris Melancon and Kathy Snyder