Support Melissa's Recovery and Livelihood

Hello,

We are friends of Melissa Martin and are asking for your help on her behalf. Melissa is well known in the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill community, she is a single mother and has owned and operated Paw Paw Pet Care, a dog walking and pet visit business, for 16 years. Melissa is also an artist who lives in the Clinton Hill Coops and is an active advocate for the rights of children with learning differences and disabilities.

On Friday, April 19, Melissa had a sudden accident where she fell and severely injured her knee while dog walking. An MRI revealed that she fractured her tibia, tore her ACL and MPFL, and tore her medial meniscus and lateral meniscus.

These injuries have left her unable to perform the core activities of her business, and her income will be significantly reduced until she recovers. After consulting with an orthopedic surgeon, she learned that the first thing they will do is monitor the tibia fracture as it heals in the coming weeks. How well it heals will determine if surgery is needed for the ligament tears. The surgeon also explained that extensive physical therapy will be needed to heal the ligaments in either scenario of surgery or non-surgery. It will likely be 2 months before she will be able to put enough weight on her knee to walk and likely 4-6 months before she can return to the kind of dog walking that she was doing before this accident. In the meantime Melissa is wearing a knee brace to keep her leg immobilized and can walk very short distances with crutches. Many household tasks are impossible, as she cannot yet put any weight onto her leg.

The fundraising goal amount is based on the following:

• Medical copays and PT costs that will not be covered by her insurance.

• Expenses towards transport while her mobility is limited.

• Help in her home and with her son.

• Transitioning her business to a more employee-based model while she cannot walk dogs.

• Coverage of lost income from the many walks and pet care visits that Melissa personally performed for her business. Melissa's business was structured as such that she is ineligible for Worker's Compensation.

Melissa is the primary financial provider for herself and her son, and there is no financial buffer to cover the coming weeks of lost income. She is an independent, self-sufficient person who doesn’t accept assistance casually, however she recognizes that she needs help from her community right now.

Melissa is an amazing friend and neighbor to so many of us. She is a notoriously generous person who has consistently given her time, energy, and creative problem solving in extraordinary ways to others in all areas of her life. Many of us can remember times when she was there for us. This is an opportunity to give her the help she needs to get through the coming months, ensuring that she can afford to heal and repair fully while making ends meet and single-parenting her son.

This is a life-changing injury that will likely have health ramifications for the rest of Melissa’s life. Let’s give her the help she needs to proceed with the treatment and follow-up care without crushing financial stress. Melissa is used to making a little go a long way on her own, but this is the time for us all to lend a hand and help make a difference that will benefit her for years to come.

Please consider giving what you can to support Melissa and her son during this extremely difficult time. We will update with news directly from Melissa on how the medical treatment of her injury is going. With all of our support, we can help get her through this!

Thank you!

Danielle, Keri, Kira, Jenn and Yani