Melissa's Fight Against Cancer

For those of you who know Melissa Goodwin, you know she’s someone who is constantly watching out for others, moves at just over 1,000 miles per hour no less than 18 hours per day, and has a heart of the purest gold. It’s hard to believe our family has known this energetic young lady for over ten years.  From the first day I met her at work, she set herself apart from other colleagues.  Her work ethic alone set the highest standard unparalleled by anyone else…to this day, I stand by that.  She’s infamous for “I’ll take care of it”, which she did, with ease, time after time after time.  Melissa’s all about her taking care of others, be them strangers, friends, co-workers, bosses or customers, and ensures they receive her undivided attention.  She cares, she delivers, and she has built an astonishing reputation for putting everyone else first and doing the right thing, every time.

As a testament to this, my wife and I recently asked our daughters how they would describe their “Miss Melissa”.  They said she is “Always so generous and giving and thinks of others before herself.  She’s always cared for us no matter our situation.  When she sees us sad, she’s always there to help and be with us.  She will always be there when we need her.”

The common theme, for anyone who knows her, is that she’s always here for us “no matter our situation”.  Today, though, the tides have turned temporarily, and Melissa needs us to be there for her. 

Back on August 3rd, after feeling stabbing abdominal pains overnight, she reluctantly contacted the doctor the next morning, and found herself in emergency surgery where doctors removed a 30cm mass (yes, that’s 12 inches long) as well as her appendix.  On that day, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Colon Cancer.  Fast forward 8 weeks later to October 1st, after a very long and partial surgery recovery, Melissa started her first of 180 days of in-home chemotherapy.

While this would obviously slow anyone else down, this strong-willed woman is intent on working as long as she can because “disability doesn’t pay the bills”, but is it at a detriment to her own health and recovery?  Between this past year’s high-deductible, and her new deductible period which started on October 1st, her medical bills alone are more than she can handle.  On top of this, she’s now required to purchase special food products and supplements in addition to utility, home, and normal living costs.  As the effects of chemo set in over the next few weeks, she’ll likely also require transportation services, in-home medical visits, and other unexpected costs.

To all of you who know her well, there’s no denying that this cancer is in for a gloves-off, drag-down fight like no other, and she’s going to be victorious, but it won’t be without a long and tough fight.  The hope is through this GoFundMe campaign, we can subsidize some of her costs, so Melissa can focus on healing and not have day to day financial worries.  Please consider helping this kind soul, who never asks for anything of us, but instead devotes herself to helping everyone else.  This is now our opportunity to return the favors and help a dear friend in need.  As our 10-year-old daughter stated, “She will always be there when we need her”, so let’s join together and be there for her when she needs us.