Melissa Morris Cancer Fund
Donation protected
In early November, my brother, Jason, began contacting me for support. He and my sister-in-law, Melissa, were taking care of Melissa’s mother as she confronted the end of her battle with endometrial cancer—a fight she had been facing for four years. As one might expect, this fight challenged Melissa and Jason in ways one can only understand if you have had a loved one suffer and experience a dramatic shift in daily functioning. As her mother fell victim to her illness, Melissa had begun not feeling well herself—something she did her best to set aside as she focused on her role as a caregiver. Melissa was fatigued, had lost her appetite, and experienced a limited desire to enjoy much of life. She appeared depressed—though as we soon learned, this would not explain the seriousness of her symptoms.
Despite Melissa’s mother’s best efforts, she lost her fight to cancer on November 14th. Just four days after her mother’s death, Melissa asked my brother to take her to the ER. At that time, she was unable to keep fluids down and was concerned about dehydration. As soon as she entered the hospital, her medical team suspected something more severe. They immediately drew blood for multiple tests without communicating the potential concerns. It was not until Melissa’s doctor first entered the room that she received some answers. He stated that she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)—cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Melissa had been diagnosed with cancer just four days after her mother died from the same disease.
On December 5th, after spending nearly 3 weeks in the hospital, Melissa completed her first round of chemotherapy and was finally able to go home. During her hospital stay, she underwent numerous blood transfusions, fought off infections, and did her best to stay positive in the face of potential death. While she has been discharged from the hospital, Melissa is not yet cancer-free and still has a long road of treatment ahead. She currently has a home health nurse monitoring her progress and providing her with necessary care. She also requires several visits per week to her oncologist to track how she is responding to treatment and determine if she needs additional chemotherapy. We cannot predict the future, though our family remains optimistic and hopeful as we know Melissa’s strength.
Complicating this situation is the fact that it has been an especially challenging year for Melissa and Jason. Beyond losing her mother and Melissa being diagnosed with cancer, she and my brother also lost the restaurant they owned and operated for almost 20 years. With the loss of their business, they no longer had the financial means needed to maintain their health insurance. Additionally, they selflessly devoted what little resources they had to provide in-home care to Melissa’s mother in the final months of her life. This has left my brother and sister-in-law in desperate need of financial support to help cover Melissa’s own life-saving medical expenses and to compensate for their lost income as she will be unable to work as she completes her treatment.
In situations like this, one often does not know how to help. Begrudgingly, Jason and Melissa were open to me supporting them by creating this GoFundMe. They are two people with tremendous pride and asking for money may have actually been the most challenging part of their current battle. They intend to use money earned from this campaign to pay for the out-of-pocket medical expenses that Melissa incurred in the hospital and to help support their basic needs as she recovers. They wholeheartedly deserve, and are grateful for, any support people are willing to provide. Thank you for taking the time to read Melissa’s story and for considering a donation to support her recovery!
Melissa & her mother:
Melissa & Jason:
Our Family:
Despite Melissa’s mother’s best efforts, she lost her fight to cancer on November 14th. Just four days after her mother’s death, Melissa asked my brother to take her to the ER. At that time, she was unable to keep fluids down and was concerned about dehydration. As soon as she entered the hospital, her medical team suspected something more severe. They immediately drew blood for multiple tests without communicating the potential concerns. It was not until Melissa’s doctor first entered the room that she received some answers. He stated that she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)—cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Melissa had been diagnosed with cancer just four days after her mother died from the same disease.
On December 5th, after spending nearly 3 weeks in the hospital, Melissa completed her first round of chemotherapy and was finally able to go home. During her hospital stay, she underwent numerous blood transfusions, fought off infections, and did her best to stay positive in the face of potential death. While she has been discharged from the hospital, Melissa is not yet cancer-free and still has a long road of treatment ahead. She currently has a home health nurse monitoring her progress and providing her with necessary care. She also requires several visits per week to her oncologist to track how she is responding to treatment and determine if she needs additional chemotherapy. We cannot predict the future, though our family remains optimistic and hopeful as we know Melissa’s strength.
Complicating this situation is the fact that it has been an especially challenging year for Melissa and Jason. Beyond losing her mother and Melissa being diagnosed with cancer, she and my brother also lost the restaurant they owned and operated for almost 20 years. With the loss of their business, they no longer had the financial means needed to maintain their health insurance. Additionally, they selflessly devoted what little resources they had to provide in-home care to Melissa’s mother in the final months of her life. This has left my brother and sister-in-law in desperate need of financial support to help cover Melissa’s own life-saving medical expenses and to compensate for their lost income as she will be unable to work as she completes her treatment.
In situations like this, one often does not know how to help. Begrudgingly, Jason and Melissa were open to me supporting them by creating this GoFundMe. They are two people with tremendous pride and asking for money may have actually been the most challenging part of their current battle. They intend to use money earned from this campaign to pay for the out-of-pocket medical expenses that Melissa incurred in the hospital and to help support their basic needs as she recovers. They wholeheartedly deserve, and are grateful for, any support people are willing to provide. Thank you for taking the time to read Melissa’s story and for considering a donation to support her recovery!
Melissa & her mother:
Melissa & Jason:
Our Family:
Organizer and beneficiary
Josh Morris
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT
Melissa Morris
Beneficiary