Support Mele's Journey to Overcome Trauma & Severe OCD

*Please do not share this link on social media! Please only send directly to those who will honor Mele’s wish for as much privacy as possible.

Dear Friends & Family,

This is a private request - and we are only sharing the link to this GoFundMe with those who we trust to honor Mele’s privacy.

Mele has reached her lowest point after three years of depression, and she is asking us to reach out for help.

Mele’s depression seemed to mostly begin after her father’s death, but she had blocked memories of having been sexually molested over a period of a few years. This was not a family member, but this was a “trusted” friend, who is no longer in our current life. It is common for sex abuse survivors to block memories, so she was not able to recall this until one year ago.

Our family has been trying hard to help her receive the treatment she needs. Mele was (understandably) too scared to open up about this and almost felt she would rather die than to have to tell anyone or to seek proper treatment. Since moving to California, we have been thrown an “alphabet soup” of potential diagnoses of the disorders developed within her after this trauma. She has been trying medication after medication. She has been having to open up to person after person in finding a treatment team who can actually help her. This has taken a huge toll on her emotionally.

She feels she cannot take feeling like this anymore.

Her mental health/illness/injury is severely fragile right now. Her suicidality is serious, and we don’t want to see her suffer anymore.

Mele needs more intense and specific treatment at this time. We praise her therapist of the last three years who has been willing to do all she could in her power to help Mele, but even she admits that Mele is in need of higher level care at this time.

Due to the sexual trauma, Mele has developed CPTSD - Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is unable to function in daily life. However, in the last couple of weeks - Mele was able to open up more about more details of the thoughts that bully her (like a parasite on her brain) 24-7. This is OCD. She received a more clear diagnosis from her psychiatrist this week of not only PTSD and depression, but also OCD. Mele’s OCD is crippling.

She is in immediate need of more care than just a hospital visit that would only sedate her long enough not to attempt suicide and then release her. She needs help to rewire her brain and to learn the skills needed to work around OCD and CPTSD triggers. She wants desperately to be able to function in daily life.

Mele needs a more specialized therapy called ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) that is specific to the OCD. It is rare to find therapists and programs who provide this care. I have been searching relentlessly. Our Medi-Cal (free insurance) does not offer coverage for this type of intense treatment that she needs.

We have done heavy research and have found an intensive outpatient program that will meet her unique needs:

https://theocdtreatmentcenter.com/ocd-intensive-treatment-program/

The cost is $13,500 for the intensive outpatient program and cannot be covered by our insurance.

I have worked tirelessly to not have to ask for help in this way so we could keep this even more private. So I have pled for help from organizations

-the OCD program itself offered us a $2000 discount

-the National Association of Mental Illness of Kern County has offered to pay the equivalent of $4000

-our church does not have therapists that provide this type of therapy, so they will help some with food orders to offset some expense

-her older sister Jaz & and her boyfriend Richie offered to donate $1000

This leaves about $6,000 as the needed amount for the intensive outpatient care. No matter what, I will find a way to borrow this and pay it off over time because this treatment is so critical for Mele in this moment. (In fact, if you are willing to just loan us some of this amount and work out a way for me to pay you back, please contact me separately directly).

However, we wanted to at least see if anyone is in a position to be able to help in any amount on Mele’s behalf. Of course, there are other expenses that will be needed as part of her treatment plan until she is more fully healed and functioning.

Mele is currently in a life or death heightened state of mind where she feels she would rather be dead than continue to suffer in this way. Please research OCD beyond what most people know of this mental disorder. The common OCD categories in sufferers are debilitating.

As her only caretaker (Mom) at this time, I am not skilled enough in this type of mental health crisis to know how to get her out of this, nor am I able to provide all she needs on my own.

Her sisters Jaz and Luseane have also tried for years to help her through this, but none of us have the correct training to help her.

Mele has asked us to please ask for help in a private way. Please honor that privacy and keep this between us!

We have chosen to share this with anyone who may choose to help in some way, even if it is just prayers because we know you care about Mele. Any amount at all would be appreciated to help us towards her intensive outpatient OCD & PTSD needs. All funds donated would go directly to her treatment plan.

Mele feels so bad and guilty to ask for help at all, and she has such a bad fear of people knowing more about what happened to her - so to have her join in this request and approve these words shows just how dire her situation is at this time.

Thank you for any help you may be able to provide. We pray you will be so blessed in return for your giving efforts. If you are unable to give at this time, please join us in sending prayers and positive energy to a full healing of Mele’s mental condition at this time.

Sincerely,

Melissa, Jaz, & Luseane

for Mele Burke