On Thanksgiving Mel Smith started having a cough. When it didn’t get better by October 23rd 2023 he decided to go see his family doctor.

His doctor sent him for some tests and a CT scan where they found a large tumour on his throat restricting 2/3 of his airway. He spent the next few days in and out of hospital getting additional tests and biopsies.

During this time Mel’s father, Neil, was also hospitalized with complications of Congestive Heart Failure and Acute Kidney Failure.

Friday October 27th, Mel was given the news that the tumour on his throat was Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, a very rare and very aggressive cancer which is incurable.

At 2am on Saturday October 28th, Mel started to have difficulty breathing at home. His wife Lori called EMS and he was transported back to Foothills hospital where he was stabilized.

He spent Saturday with his wife, step son, brother and sister in law, and two of his nephews. He went back to Foothills hospital for the night to rest in case any more complications arose.

At 4:30am Sunday October 29th, Mel started to have more difficulty breathing and the difficult decision to intubate him was made.

He has been stable with the intubation in ICU since Sunday October 29th, but his cancer continues to progress at an alarming rate.

This has been a roller coaster for Mel and his family. It has been moving too quickly for anyone to process. Family have been at his bedside 24/7 since Sunday morning.

To help support his wife, Lori, as she navigates this difficult journey we are collecting donations. This is to help Lori with bills, and unexpected costs.

Additionally, we are trying to offload 1,000 pup tents that Mel and Lori have been storing and trying to sell for the last number of years.

For any donations of $100 or more we will either provide you with a pup tent, or donate one to a local dog shelter.

thanks for you support, prayers, and kind thoughts.

Any funds collected in excess of what is needed to support Mel’s care during this difficult time will be donated to the Alberta Cancer Society for research for Thyroid Cancers.