Melissa's Mother of Dragons Fund
Our dear friend Melissa Mercer-Tachick recently received an unexpected and devastating Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis (on top of 2 other debilitating health issues which have kept her bedridden and unable to work for months).
With her permission, I am starting a GoFundMe account to help her family through this very difficult time. Melissa is seeking a bold treatment to improve her chances of seeing her two young kids grow up. That treatment and meds are expensive and not fully covered by insurance. Additionally, they are faced with the added expenses of having to hire a nanny to help the kids with school during the day (as she is bedridden) and transportation to her medical appointments.
Melissa is a fierce Mother of Dragons and she is channeling the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen to help her gather the love, courage and strength she will need to beat the odds and see her baby dragons grow to adulthood.
Here is her story, in her own words . . .
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Melissa's Story:
As many of you know, on May 2, I had a health collapse. Out of that came 2 major diagnoses that changed my life forever.
The first: dysautonomia. POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) is one of many syndromes living under this umbrella, and my plan was to go to Mayo Clinic October 6 to more finely diagnose my specific type of dysautonomia, but for certain I was (and still am) experiencing the tachycardia, body temperature dysregulation, exercise intolerance, chronic fatigue, gastroparesis and a host of other symptoms associated with dysautonomia.
The second: heart failure. Specifically, dilated cardiomyopathy with impaired left ventricle ejection fraction.
But what I found out 8 days ago leaves these other diagnoses in the dust. I went to the hospital with pain I could no longer stand. With no fanfare at all, I was told some news that bore up under a week’s worth of imaging and tests: I have stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
I will seek treatment ASAP, but I have stayed in the hospital to confirm the diagnosis and work on pain management. When I go home, I should have the tools I need to stay comfortable while I fight this cancer. But under standard treatment, this is a terminal diagnosis.
I do have my eyes on a bold treatment. I don’t know if it’s within reach, but it may be the only way for me to see my children grow up, graduate, fall in love, reach personal and professional goals, have families and make me a grandma. Stay tuned, because I may need your help.
In the meantime, please send prayers, thoughts, vibes, whatever it is that you send.
--Melissa
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(Lisa): In true Melissa fashion, she is thinking of how to help others . . .
P.S. I encourage you to share Melissa's Go Fund Me Campaign if you can to help even more!
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(Melissa): In case anyone is curious about the clinical trial—perhaps you know others who are newly diagnosed and need the hope of immunotherapy?—you can find more details at: https://bit.ly/36koaO5
I believe I was/am the first University of Michigan patient in this study, and I am in Part L. Talk to your oncologist if this may also apply to you or a loved one!