Help Peter and Laura Navigate Cancer's Challenges

Dear Friends + Family of Peter & Laura Ellis-Mellen,

We need your help!

Hello, my name is Yvette Boyd and this is a story about a colleague and good friend of mine named Laura Ellis-Mellen who could really use some support as cancer once again strikes her family.

Having been wed almost two years, Laura and her husband Peter are still in the newlywed phase of their marriage and have just been delivered a harsh blow with his recent diagnosis of stage 2 Multiple Myeloma, which was only discovered because of an on-the-job injury.

MM is a blood cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cell that produce antibodies. With this condition, a group of plasma cells becomes cancerous and multiplies. The disease can damage the bones, immune system, kidneys, and red blood cell count. Although myeloma is not curable, there are a number of effective treatments that can control the cancer and prolong life.

Peter is 43 and has eight-year old twins (boy and girl) - his daughter in remission from ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) - and Laura is 40 with a daughter (20) who’s a Junior in college. They are both still young and have a lot more life left to live together!

On August 22nd, Peter began his first round of treatment and is limited in what he can do in his job as a firefighter as a result of his fractured T6/T7 and the rapid progression of his disease. Due to his level of pain, which his doctors are having trouble managing, he is currently dependent on a cane. Additionally, the couple are also preparing for a move into a house that is wheelchair accessible in order for him to be able to get around, whether by cane, walker or wheelchair, as it advances.

Laura and Peter are facing a long road of challenging times with this diagnosis, but I know that together they can get through this!

My hope is that by setting up this go-fund-me account for them, we can help eliminate some of the financial burdens that they’re facing with this shocking diagnosis, thereby allowing them to focus all of their energy on staying mentally healthy so that together they can kick this cancer’s ass and get him to a point where he’s able to manage life with this disease.

Thank you so much for reading my plight. Any amount you can give will be greatly appreciated and go a long way in helping a dear friend in need.

Sincerly,

YB