Hello friends, and friends we haven’t met yet! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Melle, and that’s my family up there; My partner, Nick, and our kiddos, Izzy, and Willa. I love them more than anything else on this planet. As some of you know, we’ve had a tough five years. I had a near fatal illness in 2019, the pandemic economy, as artists, and a hospitality worker, devastated us, then in 2021 we had a major house fire, and in the 18 months that we were displaced, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. The treatment was much harder on my body, than expected, and the road to recovery was long. By the end, though, we were very hopeful I was in the clear, and slowly, life started to get back to a new normal, until earlier this Fall.

I’m so sorry to say that my cancer has returned, and I’ll be fighting the fight for the rest of my life. There’s so much I could say about what we are feeling, and going through right now, but I’m sure you can imagine. I’ve tried to write it out a few times now, but words pale. What is helping me stay present is thinking about what i can do… and all I can do is think about ways to make sure my family will be okay through this journey. So that’s become my focus. As we have been slowly telling loved ones, it’s become clear how much folks want to help. I know that asking for, and accepting, help is something I have struggled with in the past. This time around, however, I welcome every bit of love and light, from kind words and prayers, to donations and help with life during treatment.

I wouldn’t be me, though, if I didn’t overthink it, to make sure people are able to give in the way that they want to. The first, and primary concern, is medical and wellness bills. We want to make sure that the whole family is in therapy that works for their needs, which isn’t covered by our insurance. We also have different insurance this time around, and the medical bills are a lot for our already fragile finances (I haven’t been able to go back to working). Wellness will also include medication, recommended treatments, supplements, and the like. That is what this GoFundMe is specifically set up to handle. It will be an ever mounting pile, and we will definitely need assistance. But there are other options below, for those who want to support us in other ways.

I am choosing to approach this chapter of my life with what I am calling, “defiant joy.” The past few years, things have been so tough that we haven’t had the ability to have a lot of fun and moments of joy, as a family. I want to spend the next few years making memories, and bringing joy to the lives of the loves of my life. Again, it’s hard for me to write all of this without getting emotional, but making sure there is joy and light is hugely important to me. If that is a way you’d like to help, please donate to the Defiant Joy Fund, on CashApp @BootsyCricket. (Childhood nicknames.)

Finally, I’m also having to look towards the future in a lot of ways that are very hard. We are also starting a Continuing Education Fund for Izzy and Willa. If you’d prefer to donate in that way, please leave us a note on your GoFundMe donation, so we know how to direct it, or contact us.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. There are a ton of ways to stay connected, and to send your love, that aren’t donations. We are grateful for any kindness. Everything means so much more right now. I’ll be posting updates, and staying in touch here, and on socials. I’m going to need a glee club, team! Y’all up for the job?! Love and Light- Melle