The past several years have taken a toll on Meli. She has survived a miscarriage, a tumour, multiple family deaths and serious illnesses, assault and abusive relationships she had to remove herself from. She has done so with strength, courage and the love and support of friends, as she has no family nearby. 

***This photo was taken of Meli right after her surgery for the tumour a few years ago.***

***Our Meli, recovering from her surgery in 2016, and supporting her father during his battle with cancer, all with a smile on her face***

She continued to work long hours as a nurse caring for the PSWs and patients under her care, even on days when she was not well, and had sustained a concussion. Her work is her passion. Caring for others was always first, and that was to her detriment. 

This has taken a toll on her health leading to a heart problem and PTSD. She continued to pushed past what her doctors deemed healthy. She ended up in hospital at the end of September. She could not push any further.

***This is the face of PTSD. You can’t see it behind the smile to make others happy. You find out after the fact. After the attempt.***

Finally taking their advice to take some time off to get healthy Meli took out a line of credit amd applied for EI. She did not want to be a burden on others and naively believed she’d return to work in a few weeks.

She is healing, slowly, but she is healing. There have been complications, and two steps forward and one back kind of days. Days when simple tasks like eating, bathing, or doing a load of laundry leave her so exhausted she falls asleep sitting up, times when it is difficult to catch her breath. There are also days when she can go for short walks with friends and laugh and fills herself with hope making plans for her future.

At this juncture in her journey she is now out of financial assistance and seriously facing homelessness just as she was making real strides in her recovery.

Although Canada has a wonderul healthcare system, it is not without it cracks that people can fall through.

Assistance does cover medication. This is appreciated greatly by Meli. However it does not allow to pay for rent, in full. It does not provide electricty or a phone to make appointments, or healthy food to heal. 

Meli has several chronic illnesses and yet remains a positive and hopeful person. She inspires others more than she is aware, and is uncomfortable with compliments and praise. She expresses gratitude and tears of joy by others simply bringing her food and toiletries! 

We’re launching this campaign to assist her through the last 6-8 weeks of her recovery. We’re launching this so she can stay in her apartment, wash her clothing, have electricty etc.,

There are incentives as well.  One of her friends a professional psychotherapist will donate a one hour session to the first $200 donation. The number of the therpist will be discreetly given to the donor. A certified shiatsu massage therapist will donate a free massage to the first three $100 donations in the GTA. A writer will also donate a hard copy of a personalized children’s story for any child in your life for the first five $50 donations in the GTA, or e-book outside of the GTA. 

Our goal is to raise $500 before March 27, 2019, and the whole $5000 before May 1, 2019.
*All incentives will be provided at the end of the campaign, and there may be more added as we go along!

As of today, we are all hoping Meli will be well enough to return to sharing all of her skills and gifts in healing, writing, and caring for herself and others by mid-May.