**Por favor continúa abajo para leer en español

Friends and compassionate strangers,

My name is Melissa and I am reaching out to to share the story of a family friend’s beloved daughter Melanie, a bright and joyful two-year-old who has recently been diagnosed with Wilm’s tumor, a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer.

Melanie lives in Nicaragua with her parents, Douglas and Marvely and her eight-year-old sister and best friend, Brianna. Two weeks after Melanie’s second birthday their world was turned upside down when her father noticed the right side of her abdomen was unusually swollen. After numerous tests, Melanie was diagnosed with Wilm’s tumor the size of a lemon. Since then, Melanie has received 3/4 chemo treatments, traveling with her family to and from the hospital. She is scheduled to have surgery to remove the tumor and her right kidney around September 11. After surgery, Melanie will require 19 weeks of chemo to avoid a recurrence of the tumor.

This news has devastated Melanie’s family, both in Nicaragua and in the states, where her grandmother and other family members live and wait anxiously for daily calls and updates. Despite the overwhelming fear and uncertainty, Melanie’s parents have shown incredible strength and unwavering faith in God. While Melanie receives the best medical care possible, her family is facing a significant financial burden. Unfortunately, Melanie’s treatment plan was only available to the family from a private hospital in Nicaragua, meaning they are paying every single expense out of pocket. Now, I humbly ask for your help. Any donation will be greatly appreciated as it'll go to Marvely and Douglas for Melanie’s medical expenses, lost wages, daily travel, and more. If a donation is not possible a prayer and a share will be of great help.

Lastly, for those who may not know my connection to Melanie, Melanie’s grandmother, Lucrecia, was my childhood caretaker and is like a second mother to me. To put it simple, she is family. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for your support. Your prayers and generosity will help alleviate some of the financial stress and allow Melanie’s family to concentrate on providing her with the love and care she needs.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Melissa

P.S. For those who speak Spanish, please continue reading for a note from Melanie’s grandmother and aunt below.

**************

Somos la abuela y tia de Melanie y es la primera vez que hacemos una campaña de GoFoundeMe, y de verdad además de la ayuda económica que nos puedan dar, queremos pedir especialmente sus oraciones por nuestra niña preciosa Melanie. 

Queremos contarles un poco lo que ha venido pasando. El pasado mes el papa de nuestra princesa de dos años sintió algo extraño en su abdomen derecho, y por supuesto para sus papás fue alarmante. A unos días le realizaron exámenes preliminares que evidenciaron en la ecografía, una masita del tamaño de un limón en su riñón derecho. A Melanie le diagnosticaron con Nefroblastoma Derecho (tumor de Wilms), también conocido como cáncer de riñón.

Este tumor maligno afecta a 1 de cada 10.000 niños y por algún motivo que no comprendemos Melanie lo tiene. 

El tratamiento de Melanie consiste en 4 semanas de quimioterapia, luego necesitara de una cirugía mayor para realizar nefrectomía derecha, y para evitar recurrencia del tumor necesitara aproximadamente 19 semanas de tratamiento con quimioterapia. Hemos creado esta campaña para ayudar los papas de Melanie pagar por los tratamientos y cirugía que esta recibiendo Melanie en un hospital privado en Nicaragua.

Estamos eternamente agradecidas por el tiempo que te has tomado en leer este post, en compartir el link, pero sobre todo por tener a nuestra pequeña en tus oraciones.

Lucrecia (Abuela) y Ari (Tia)