Melissa Koonce Medical Fund

Melissa, who is a dear friend to many, was recently dealt the very difficult blow of a THIRD cancer diagnosis, this time in her lung.  Her long cancer battle started in February 2003 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery, chemo, radiation, and all the nasty side effects of those treatments for well over a year, but was eventually declared cancer-free. Because she has such a strong family history of cancer on both sides, and knowing there was a strong possibility of it reoccurring in her reproductive organs, she started asking to have a hysterectomy. She was told she was too young. She kept asking anyway, but was continually told it was not an appropriate course of treatment.

So she kept up her semi-annual testing in the years that followed, with the growing hope that the longer she remained cancer-free, the less likely she was to have a recurrence. Until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in July of 2018. She again underwent surgery (finally having the hysterectomy she had been requesting for years), chemo, radiation, and AGAIN, all the nasty side effects of those treatments. She responded well to her treatment, though, and the doctors were hopeful she was cancer-free. 

All during both battles with cancer, Melissa continued working to support herself, missing as little work as possible no matter how poorly she was feeling. She is a single person with no additional financial support, and she did not want to have to be dependent on anyone else if she could avoid it. Additionally, she helped several family members and friends during their own cancer battles throughout those same years. She is a "Giver" and has a very tough time being on the receiving end, but it is time for her to let us help her now.

Because in her most recent follow-up testing, it was discovered that her cancer markers were increasing. She then had a chest/abdominal CT that was clear except for a pleural effusion in her right lung. She began having some difficulty breathing shortly after that. As odd as it probably sounds, we all were hoping she had COVID, because that would have explained the increase in her cancer markers, the pleural effusion, and the difficulty breathing. But mostly because it would NOT have been cancer. Her COVID test, however, came back negative; three times. She underwent a thoracentesis to remove the fluid around her lung for both relief of her symptoms and to analyze it.  They drained over 2 litres of fluid that time, and again 2 more times as the fluid accumulated. The cytology came back abnormal, and it was determined that she has a recurrence of her cancer. There are no masses, so there is no surgery that can be done to remove it. 

She is currently undergoing a much more aggressive form of chemotherapy, which is making her much sicker, and much weaker than her previous treatments. Because of that, she is finding it more and more difficult to continue working, and is going through her PTO rapidly.  She will most likely need to file for short term disability, which will provide her with some income while she is unable to work, but will not cover all her normal expenses, much less the mounting medical bills. She is worried about losing her house, and with everything else going on, she does not need the additional stress of financial worries.

Melissa has always been the first in line to help anyone else who needed it, and it is time for us to do the same for her. There are so many people who have asked how they can help, we decided (with her permission, of course) to start a Go Fund Me fundraiser for her so that anyone who wants to help her out has a convenient way to do so. And all funds raised will go directly to her. 

Please consider donating what you can. And whether you are able to contribute financially or not, we ask that you keep Melissa in your prayers. 

God Bless.