Melissa Ennis was many things: a devoted wife and mother, a kick-ass friend, an amazing cook and an eternal optimist, to name a few. She was also really, really scrappy - she never backed down from a fight. So when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer just six months after marrying the love of her life, it was no surprise to anyone that faced it head on. Melissa was bound and determined to beat the odds. 

And those odds? They weren't good. Just a few days before her 40th birthday, Melissa was told that, even with chemotherapy, she was looking at about two years, tops. 


Melissa wasn't just fighting for herself, she was fighting for her family. She and Mike, the handsome dude in the photo above, were just staring their married life together. She affectionately described Mike as her "longest one night stand ever", and it really is true - they hooked up one night, and the rest is history. 

Melissa fought the hardest for her children - Blaire, Jared and Mackenzie. Melissa's children were everything to her, and she was an awesome mom - the kind of mom that other kids were jealous of, you know? Supportive and attentive, funny and available, lovingly sarcastic and just...there, always, no matter what. Melissa was a fierce advocate for her children. She spoke up and out; she supported her children in any and every way possible. She was a constant source of love and support to them.


Melissa faced many obstacles during her battle with cancer. It had metastasized to several other areas of her body, which required a major surgery to remove half of her liver. A second surgery was planned, but had to be scrapped due to the cancer's rapid growth. There was chemo, chemo and more chemo. 

Melissa never gave up.


Eventually, after a gruelling bout of sepsis and a three week hospital stay, Melissa wound up with a permanent colostmy bag. After two rounds of chemotherapy, she was told that chemo was no longer an option. She tried chemo pills, but they provided little relief. She went in to renal failure, and wound up with a permanent supra pubic catheter. 

She never complained. She never gave up. She fought. 


Melissa was the kind of person who thought of others. She always wanted to help, no matter how small the gesture. Melissa truly valued her friends and despite what she was going through, she always made sure her friends knew how she felt about them. No matter how difficult her situation was, if you were a friend of Melissa's, you knew it.

Obviously, Melissa was unable to continue working due to her disease, leaving Mike as the sole breadwinner in the family. And Mike, being Mike, refused to leave Melissa's side through this entire four-year ordeal. Mike took 'in sickness and in health' to a whole new level - not one time was Melissa alone, through any of this. Mike was there with her, every single step of the way. It was Mike who stood by her, held her hand, did the dirty work and got her through this, and that meant that he had to take a lot of time off of work. 

And then COVID happened. 

Mike is a chef, so you know what that means: what little work Mike had while Melissa was alive is all but gone right now. Mike is behind on rent and bills, and now he has a funeral to pay for.

Mike needs help, guys. He's overwhelmed and grieving for his soul mate. He's got costs he can't even begin to cover right now, and as much as he hates to put a hand out, he's asking for help. Anything you can spare will go a really long way right now.

I've been friends with Melissa since Grade 4, and I've known Mike for years. Asking for help wouldn't be Melissa's first choice, and I know it's not Mike's, but this is where we're at right now. I know times are tough for everyone, but if you've got a couple of bucks you can spare, please consider donating it to this family today.


In loving memory of Melissa Anne Ennis: January 8, 1977 - January 3, 2021.