Stand with Melissa: Battling Leukemia & Weathering the Storm

Hello, I'm Kristin Rochelle, Melissa Bell's sister. As some of you may know, Melissa was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. To make matters even more challenging, she has genetic mutations that make this an extremely aggressive diagnosis. In the words of her doctor, "this cancer is more rare than being struck by lightning." Her diagnosis came on March 7th, and my sister has been courageously battling this relentless storm ever since.

Melissa has faced wave after wave of grueling and painful challenges. In the wake of the initial diagnosis, she was in the hospital for an entire month, and since then, she has had to return multiple times for complications related to her diagnosis. In just the last 3 months, she has undergone numerous rounds of chemotherapy, multiple blood transfusions, countless platelet infusions, and several bone marrow extractions. Despite all this, she holds her head high - if we all know one thing about Melissa, she has grit!

The storm clouds are heavy, but Melissa's spirit is unyielding. With help from the amazing team at Northwestern in Chicago, her next step is the long and grueling process of receiving a bone marrow transplant. Once we find a donor, she must stay in Chicago for at least six weeks.

So now, we're reaching out to you, our community, to help Melissa weather this storm. Your financial contribution - no matter the amount - will be a beacon of hope as it helps to cover the expenses of medical treatments, travel and lodging to specialized hospitals, and everyday support that Melissa needs to keep fighting. Every dollar brings a gust of wind that propels her closer to calmer seas and brighter days.

Melissa has always been a pillar of strength, not just in our family but also in her community. Her kindness and resilience have touched so many lives. Now, she needs us to rally around her. Let's be her shelter and her umbrella in this downpour. Together, we can help Melissa weather this storm and see the sunshine again.

Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to my sister and our family!!!

Below are a few pics of Melissa's journey thus far:

Melissa, with my mom and her best friend Maria cheering her on, shaved her head in March.

The purple wig suits her! Who am I kidding? All the wigs suit her!

Daily transfusions, infusions, doctor visits, and marrow extractions are exhausting, but she marches on.

Our first visit to Northwestern was in May. Melissa was determined to visit Shedd Aquarium between five doctor appointments, and so we did!

3 am ER visits that last for 2-3 days are grueling, to say the least.

Celebrating Kiss Me's 30th birthday on May 18th lifted all our spirits; we were so grateful to see my sister so happy on that day.