Help Melinda Howard Fight Pancreatic Cancer

My name is Yugi Crowe, and I’m asking for your help to support my mother, Melinda Gale Howard, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) on May 10, 2024. Since then, her fight has been nothing short of heartbreaking, and now, after months of chemotherapy, she’s been forced to stop her treatment due to losing her Medicaid plan that covered her chemotherapy. We’re desperate to get her the care she needs to survive.

Melinda, a dedicated charge nurse all her career, has always been the one caring for others. She graduated as an LPN in 2010 and spent years helping her community. Now, it’s our turn to help her. Melinda has three children: me (Yugi), Brayden, and Lily. I’ll be 30 in a week, Brayden is 26, and Lily is 17. We’ve all been affected in ways that no family should ever have to be.

In late May 2024, I made the difficult decision to leave my life in Las Vegas with my girlfriend, Clajanae, to come to Jacksonville, Florida, and be with my mom. We drained our savings/investments and spent over $10,000 (with the help of my father and family friends) to cancel our lease early. We moved to be with her, hoping to give my mom the support she needed. She had been receiving chemotherapy in Nashville, Tennessee, but the situation here in Jacksonville has become increasingly difficult. She’s staying with her parents, but the dysfunctional family dynamic is starting to take a toll on her emotional and physical well-being.

Lily, my mom’s youngest daughter, has faced more emotional distress than any 17-year-old should ever have to endure. She’s been living through this entire ordeal, trying to support her mother while navigating the challenges of being a teenager going through school. Brayden, my middle brother, has been struggling with severe depression due to the family stress and poor dynamics. None of us are financially equipped to handle this complex situation, and we’re facing a crisis we simply cannot overcome alone.

Since late November 2024, my mom has been unable to continue her chemotherapy treatments due to losing her previous Medicaid benefits. Starting in November 2024, she began receiving $1,700 a month from Social Security Disability, but this amount—barely enough to cover basic living expenses—was deemed “too much” for her to keep her original Medicaid plan. Her new Medicaid policy no longer covers chemotherapy or palliative care as her previous plan did before. Without access to these critical treatments or medications, she is losing precious time, and we fear that we may be running out of options.

We need your support to ensure my mom can continue her treatment. The funds we’re raising will help with the following immediate needs:

• Healthcare Plan: We’re working on securing a new insurance plan, which will cost roughly $400-600 a month.

• Medications: She’s currently using GoodRX to manage prescriptions, but we need help covering costs.

• Housing: My mom urgently needs a safe, stable place to stay. We are currently looking for apartments with the average rent being $1300 a month in Jacksonville.

• Basic Necessities: An example being her high car payment ($564/month), along with other basic living expenses that are overwhelming throughout all of this.

• Schooling for Lily: She’s attending online high school, and we want to ensure she has the resources she needs to succeed, regardless of what happens with our Moms cancer.

• Comfort: We want to make sure my mom has some peace and comfort during this difficult time.

When my mom was first diagnosed in May 2024, doctors gave her just 12 months to live. Now, in January 2025, we’re doing everything we can to make sure she has the chance to fight for more time. Time with her family. Time to keep pushing forward.

We are incredibly grateful for any support you can offer, whether it’s through a donation, sharing this campaign, or keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers. Your generosity will make all the difference during this difficult journey.

She is a wonderful, loving, and amazing person who has saved THOUSANDS of lives over the last 14 years—please don’t let this go unnoticed!

Thank you for your kindness and for helping us give my mom a fighting chance!