Melissa Hayden's Fight Against Leukemia

What began with a morning of not feeling well, quickly accelerated with a trip to the hospital.  Melissa underwent a bone marrow biopsy, and PET scan along with multiple other tests. Unfortunately, Melissa and Sean learned the devastating news that she was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Ph+ALL; "Philadelphia Chromosome Positive Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia"  

Since February 26th, Melissa has already endured in-patient chemotherapy via picc line and spinal taps, steroid treatments, multiple bone marrow biopsies and extensive daily blood tests.  These aggressive treatments are taking place at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she will spend the next 4+ weeks undergoing phase two of her treatment. The hope is after the chemotherapy and target therapy Melissa will be able to receive a stem cell transplant. Melissa is committed to defeating this cancer with everything she's got but she cannot do it alone.  We need your help. 

For those of you who know Melissa, she is a genuine and selfless person and has always put the needs of others first.  She is a loving and devoted mother, wife, and teacher.  She pours her heart and kindness into all that surrounds her.  She possesses an incredible work ethic and has been a role model for countless young dancers.  Her studio is a welcoming and family-like environment.  This atmosphere reflects Melissa's warm and caring personality.  She has had a positive influence on so many students.  Her inner strength and our support will lead her in this fight for her life.

As a small business owner, it has been devastating for Melissa to not be able to work.  We would like to ease the immense financial strain so the Hayden's can solely focus on defeating this incredible challenge. Surmounting medical bills, daily travel expenses, her children commuting back and forth from college to see their mom are just a few examples of the vast financial stress the Hayden’s will undergo this year.

Since Melissa's diagnosis the family, has received an outpouring of love and support from all that know them.  They are truly humbled and grateful to everyone and can feel the love surrounding them.  Many have been asking what can be done to help the family.  With so many challenges ahead, we wanted to start a GoFundMe page to assist the Hayden’s financially   This, along with your prayers, will help them in this fight. The full amount of contributions will be sent directly to the Hayden's to help with medical bills, incidentals and other unforeseen costs. Should the fundraiser exceed their needs, the Hayden‘s will donate any remaining monies directly to the Lurie and Prentice Cancer Research Foundation.

We sincerely want to thank all of you for your prayers, support, encouraging words and your donations.  With hope, faith and love we can help support Melissa and her family to remain strong and focused on healing.

Thank you, 
Jennifer Vogler & Colleen Beyer