Help Melissa Fight for Her Life—Again

Most of you know that my sister, Melissa, has been fighting for her life for a very long time. She has battled cancer—twice—and 13 years ago, she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, which left her paralyzed with a host of medical challenges. Through it all, she has remained resilient, strong, and determined.

But the past two weeks have been the hardest battle yet. What began as a hospital visit to clean out a stage 4 wound (caused by medical negligence) has turned into a nightmare. While in the hospital, Melissa contracted COVID, and during an attempt to reposition her feeding tube, her intestine was punctured—leading to two days of undetected internal leaking. By the time doctors realized what had happened, she was in complete septic shock. Emergency surgery was performed to repair the damage, drain her stomach, and replace her feeding tube.

Now, Melissa is on life support, fighting harder than ever. Just two days ago, doctors told us they don’t expect her to survive—and IF she does, they believe she will remain on life support and in a facility indefinitely. But I refuse to accept that. HELL NO. She has beaten the odds before, and I believe with everything in me that she will do it again. Her platelets are low, she has fungemia from the internal leaking, needs a blood transfusion and a list of other things happening - and I STILL SEE HER FIGHT.

As a family, we are doing everything we can, but the emotional and financial toll is immense. We have missed work, taken leaves of absence, and are ensuring that someone is by her side at all times. And while we are focused on her recovery, the "what if" weighs heavily on us—the financial burden of both the fight ahead and the unthinkable. But right now, we are choosing to stay hopeful, stay strong, and believe in her ability to pull through. I cannot wait for the day she comes off the ventilator so I can tell her, once again, how her body defied the odds. How everyone rallied for her and she made it out.

All donations will go toward:

❤️ Medical expenses and treatments

❤️ Specialized care and rehabilitation

❤️ Support for any immediate and unforeseen needs as we fight for Melissa’s recovery

Melissa is a warrior, and I know she has more fight left in her. Please, if you can, donate, share, and send prayers, love, and positive energy her way. Every little bit helps and means the world to us.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support.