Last wish: Reunite Malissa & her dad Billy Joe

In early May 2019, Malissa Allen, a resident of Rome NY and Plain Dealing Louisiana native, a writer, a  56 year old loving single mom to a 15  year old boy and a 13 year old girl, suffered irreversible anoxic brain damage,  as well as chronic malnutrition, non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, and Wernicke encephalopathy from a very low vitamin B-12 count.  Malissa's doctors also diagnosed Malissa with non diabetic neuropathy throughout her body. Malissa's main nutritional source is total parenteral nutrition (TPN ), a method of feeding that bypasses the gastrointestinal tract. Malissa is unable use her arms or legs. Around the 1st of June, Malissa's beloved father, Billy Joe Allen of Springhill and Plain Dealing Louisiana, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer* and it has already metastasized to his stomach, lungs, liver, and his bones.
Our daddy is 80 years old and the pain itself is a lot for him to handle, let alone the cancer. The urgency of getting Malissa home to be with daddy in his last days is of the upmost importance.
You might be far away and unable to visit or talk with Melissa,  but we can tell you that Malissa smiles when we talk to her about her friends and the people who have never met her who have lent a hand. So whether you know Malissa personally or not, you are making a difference in her life. To date we have raised $7,000 towards Malissa's ambulance ride home from upstate New York to her northern Louisiana hometown. We hope to raise an additional $5,000 to pay for the full cost of the interstate ambulance.

If you have not yet donated, please consider donating $20.  $20 is just a few Starbucks!  When many people donate, it actually goes a long way. 

Thank you for helping us reunite Malissa with her dad, Billy Joe Allen. It's a devastating time for the Allen family, but we Allens are really touched by the outpouring of love and support.
 
Thank you.
Melodie Allen
Sister of Malissa and daughter to Billy Joe Allen

* July 22, 2019 update: Billy Joe's biopsy pathology report came back positive for reoccurring malignant melanoma, rather than pancreatic cancer. A PET scan revealed that the melanoma has spread to his stomach, intestines, liver, lungs, and his bones including his skull.