Help Melody Continue Her Fight

For the past two years, Melody has been fighting one health crisis after another, showing strength and resilience even when her body has been pushed to its limits. Unfortunately, that fight has also brought overwhelming medical expenses that continue to grow each day.

Two years ago, Melody broke her back, due to severe bone weakness caused by lupus and more than 30 years of being on a steroid- prednisone. This injury was not just a one-time event. She will continue to face fractures and compression fractures for the rest of her life. Despite chronic pain and physical limitations, Melody pushed forward, doing her best to live life as fully as she could.

In February 2025, Melody was rushed to the hospital by ambulance after experiencing difficulty breathing and confusion. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening infection that required intensive treatment and hospitalization. This marked the beginning of an incredibly difficult year.

By mid-2025, Melody began experiencing severe abdominal pain. After months of worsening symptoms, she required emergency surgery in October to remove her gallbladder. Unfortunately, the pain and complications didn’t stop there. She was later diagnosed with diverticulitis, leading to more medications, doctor visits, and mounting medical bills.

Around Thanksgiving, Melody was scheduled for surgery to address the infected portion of her intestines. However, due to prolonged antibiotic use, she developed C. diff, a serious and dangerous intestinal infection, delaying surgery and further complicating her condition.

On December 23rd, Melody was rushed back to the hospital with a high fever and extreme abdominal pain. On Friday, December 26th, she finally underwent diverticulitis surgery. Since then, she has remained hospitalized and in critical condition.

Melody has faced numerous post-surgical complications, including unstable blood pressure, dangerously high white blood cell counts, and the need for more than six blood transfusions. After spending nearly two weeks in the ICU, she has developed medical delirium, leaving her confused, frightened, and struggling to understand why she is in pain and surrounded by tubes and drains.

On December 29th, Melody woke up disoriented and accidentally pulled at one of her tubes, causing additional trauma. For her safety, she had to be sedated and placed on a ventilator with a breathing tube, along with high doses of pain medication.

As of now, Melody continues fighting for her life and is expected to remain in the ICU for the unforeseen future. Once she is stable, she will require extensive physical therapy and likely occupational therapy as she begins the long road to recovery.

The emotional toll of watching Melody endure this has been devastating, but the financial burden is just as overwhelming. Ambulance rides, emergency surgeries, ICU care, long hospital stays, medications, blood transfusions, and future rehabilitation have resulted in astronomical medical bills that continue to rise.

We are asking for help to ease this financial strain so Melody and her loved ones can focus on what truly matters—her healing and recovery. Any donation, no matter the size, will help cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and basic living needs during this incredibly difficult time. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser means more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read Melody’s story, for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers, and for supporting her as she continues this fight.