Marissa Carney's Hospice Care and Bella's Future

Marissa Ashley Carney (Marrano) is many things to many people. An amazing friend, a sister, an aunt, a loving daughter to her dad and her late mom, a world-class mom to her almost 5 year old daughter Bella, and rock star wife to Nicholas. She’s a fearless princess warrior in the face of cancer, and a passionate crusader for the people she loves and met along her cancer journey, both those who have passed and those still fighting today.

It’s hard to capture Marissa’s infectious laugh, creativity, passion for life, and unbreakable spirit in this small of a space. Suffice it to say, Marissa is larger than life. She’s larger than all the bad things that happened to her, larger than the cancer that almost took her away 18 years ago, and larger than the cancer that she is fighting today.

As of mid February, Marissa was put on Hospice.

I’ll tell you a bit about Marissa’s journey below. But first I want to answer a question many of you have asked - how can we help? It’s hard to know what to say or how to help when someone is on hospice. The most valuable is spending time with Marissa and her family, calling her and telling her about what’s going on in your life, and reminiscing on your past adventures with her. Marissa’s smile lights up any room, and there’s nothing better than hearing her laugh until she cries :)

But many of us want to do more - wish we could do more to help. That’s why we created this GoFundMe.

The funds donated here will be used for 1) Marissa’s care as her illness / hospice progresses, 2) Bella’s future. We want Marissa to be as comfortable and well taken care of as possible, and we want Marissa to know that Bella will be well taken care of, too. She loves nothing more than being a mother - a role she was born to play. If we can provide Marissa with that solace, it would be the most precious gift.

And as Marissa would say “F#ck Cancer!”

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In October 2006, at 24 years old, our dear friend Marissa Carney (Marrano) found out she had a brain tumor. But not just any brain tumor…the “great white shark” of brain tumors - glioblastoma multiforme stage 4.

At the time, she was a recent graduate of Goizueta Business School at Emory University, living life in Southern California, working and traveling, when one day she lost her peripheral vision. From there, it was more than a year of hell. She had a craniotomy after her hemorrhage subsided, 1 year of chemotherapy, 3 months of radiation, many complications, ER visits, and hospital stays. It was an incredibly emotional time for her, her family, and friends.

Given the most dismal of survival rates…she did just that…survived.

Those brief sentences do not do her journey justice, but the past is not where Marissa focused. She always looked toward the future. Over her 15 years of remission, Marissa accomplished so much personally and professionally. She pursued her passion for helping children with cancer by joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she oversaw Corporate Development, and volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of America. She ran the NY marathon, raised money for brain cancer research, and built a new life for herself in Atlanta. And through it all, she was always filled with gratitude.

In 2014 she married Nicholas, her amazing husband, and I had never seen her happier. Nicholas is Marissa's rock, and the love of her life. They expanded their family in 2019 when they fostered and eventually adopted their daughter Bella, who is definitely the queen of the household. Bella loves her mama fiercely and, along with their dogs Lewis and Henry, completed their family.

Marissa is the kind of person you only meet once in a lifetime. She is life’s biggest cheerleader and always goes out of her way to make people feel special. And when times get tough, she is the first person who will lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on. But then she is there to remind you to “handle it, sister!”and pull you up (sometimes literally) to have a dance party, drink a margarita, or sing along to Faith Hill’s “Mississippi Girl” with the windows down cruising the highway.

But that great white shark took another bite in June 2021. The cancer came back, and this time it sunk its teeth deeper. More surgery, more chemo, more radiation, more medicine. Some months it seemed like she may get another 18 years, and others where it seemed cruel at best. But Marissa always kept her positive attitude. She had her moments, as anyone would. But she truly believed she was past this. That she had paid her dues and now it was her time to live, to be with her husband, and raise her daughter. During this time she also endured the loss of her amazing mother, Nancy, to a yearslong battle with Alzheimers.

This past year, and especially the past few months, continue to be among the most difficult one could imagine. In late February 2024 (as of this writing, 1 week ago), Marissa was put on Hospice. She’s being cared for at home by Nicholas, Bella, friends, and a community of people who love and adore her.

Thank you so much for reading about Marissa, and thank you for any help you can provide in the form of donations or prayers.