My mom. Our story. Michelle’s Mission.
Donation protected
Hey there. It’s me Kaitlyn, a daughter of Michelle Callan speaking on behalf of my family. I’m here to tell you part of her story, our medical story and us. I’m here to spread her mission, to ask you to help give her something beautiful. A mission that she holds close to her big heart, because that’s who she is. If you’ve known someone who has cancer, whose been defeated by cancer, whose survived cancer, whose embraced having cancer we send all of our hugs to you and your family. An illness like this followed by “ there’s nothing more we can do “ is just something that is absolutely unfair amongst words that my mother wouldn’t not approve of me writing! I ask you to continue to listen to our story & share our mission and educate yourself on Melanoma.
My mom was diagnosed with Melanoma Stage 4 about 4/5 years ago. Right from the start she was handed a crap hand. They were like hey you have a mole growing on the inside section of your toes and bam next thing you know she’s living with two missing toes. There just toes though right? That’s what we said at least, but I think it’s more than that. The emotional process and the infection that took place was a low blow right from the start. To this day she comfortably uncomfortably rocks flip flops and I find strength in her embracing her diagnosis right from the start. So then we were hit with lymphoma sometime after. Her leg would become huge, it would be like an elephant trunk, still to this day she does get flare ups. She would have to wrap it tightly, keep it up right, went to therapy. It meant laying around which is hard for a superwoman like my mother. The keeper of us all<3. She had surgery on her leg removing lymph nodes. What a journey already, am I right? She did two different chemo iv’s which didn’t end up working and the other made her incredibly sick it actually gave her a temporary G.I problem. My mom is BRAF + so there’s only certain medications that actually even benefit her so our list of medication to help was already shorted on us. She’s done different chemo pills, but is no longer taking chemo medications because of our recent diagnosis. Chemo pills and chemo iv all come with different side effects that you have to battle and cancer itself has so many different stages ... the illness is always evolving. Over the course of 4/5 years we’ve had pet scans that go from hey there’s some stable looking tumors..to this one grew, but this one shrank. We traveled 5/6 hours away for sometimes days at a time to see a Melanoma specialist. Full disclosure he looks like Einstein, no joke! They kept telling us it’s traveled here or there with a medication cocktail.. it was later found in her hip bone..yeah I said that..her melanoma is the tricky kind despite all the chemo medicine it moved throughout her body into her bones. If you didn’t know Melanoma could do that I suggest you start keeping yourself informed. Our recent pet scan they found 3 new spots in her bones and our specialist confirmed that unfortunately her Melanoma has entered the spinal fluid he called it something like melanoma meningitis. There’s more technical terms, but the take away is that Melanoma is cruel and has given all of us a small window with her. If you’re following us on Facebook my mom courageously opening her heart and told all her loved ones over the course of a week at least our very heartbreaking news. She had 10 rounds of radiation before that appointment too, just to tie that in with how beautiful she rocks the bald head, a typical cancer sign that my mom was able to avoid until the end stages of her cancer journey. It’s cliche somehow but really the first time I seen her bald head my insides cried. I knew I was looking at someone special I mean if you know this woman you know she’s something special but I saw all of her I seen a light around her, someone who I know is going to be a very special kind of angel. I understand why God might need her, she’s that extra special kind that you can’t get enough of. She rocks her bald head with such confidence and ease despite all the crazy itching that is driving her absolutely bananas. She doesn’t even know the strength and beauty that I see and feel radiate off her. She’s strong and outright beautiful inside and out. Shes handled every bit of torture that cancer has given her and still continues to do so. if you’re reading this story here I’m sure you have your own story, you have a loved one with a history of an illness and you see them as your person. She’s my person , our person<3 Someone who fights bravely with so much love even in a chapter in her life that is ending. We are racing time, slowing down moments to have her be our mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, an ex wife, a friend. I say this but I can’t imagine how fiercely exhaustingly all the love received can also be, but she does it so well and If that doesn’t get your attention on how special this lady is. <3 .
So here’s why the mission is so important to her & to all of us. It’s helping her kick off this mission leaving another special kind of mark in the world. It’s knowing she made a difference in someone’s very scary first chemo treatment like someone made for her when she received her first chemo treatment and box. It was a beautiful box at that. It’s leaving a part of her journey, her love and her support with someone else whose battling the unexpected and unexplainable.
The mission is to give both men and woman cancer patients who are going in for their first chemo treatment a thirty one bag full of goodies. She has stocked up on all kinds of bags and designs including zipper pouches and caddy bags. I must add that every time she talks about this mission she has always made sure that the men aren’t left out. That men don’t always get the attention they need for also fiercely fighting their battles. So she has made sure that she has bags for men. This was very important to her. Again I appreciate her always thinking of everyone else. She has all kinds of goodies from comfy socks, mouth wash, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, water, snacks, crossword puzzles, playing cards, chapsticks and sooo much more. We have open collections for donations on gently used appropriate items in filling the bags and has sold a few over time. I am hoping we can share near and far and surpass our goal. We plan to have a little note and then signed your friend (name included) . Mom has said right from the start she wanted it to be personal. I wouldn’t expect anything differently from her big fat heart though. That’s the kind of woman my mother has always been, someone I aspire to continue to be like. Someone whom I hope that we can help because she’s the kind of woman that you pray for a miracle for.
The donation for a thirty one bag plus the goodies and her special note would be $20. If you leave anonymous we will use grand babies names. Open collections for items inside the bags if you’d like to help that way you can reach out to me separately. <3 Bags will be delivered to various hospitals of my moms choice starting with Binghamton where she had her first chemo treatment. And bags will be put together over time by a wonderful team of supporters, our forever army <3
She’s invested in what little she was working with to continue to do good in the world, to spread love and light and support. My mother has spent her whole life spreading her love on all of us friends, family and strangers. I wish nothing more than to help kick off her mission in getting donations to give out her bags. The mission is going to be huge and it is something that my family and her friends and those who hold her close will always come back to. This is a mission for the long hall and we want continue to remind everyone how very important it is in understanding to the best of our ability about Melanoma. The goodness in my mother keeps her moral compass on point and getting her finances under wraps is a burden that keeps her stressing in a time when she is trying to live as positive & comfortable as possible. My mom was a stay at home mom most of her life she was handed back issues including several of surgery’s and cages and rods then this cruel Melanoma. She did have wonderful jobs throughout her life with solid friends, good bosses and experiences. However when someone like my mother shares her life with the world in a way that was already a struggle ..finically now she’s offered way below an acceptable amount to live off the last few years let alone die off. All of our buffalo trips and kicking off this amazing mission took credit cards. The bluntness is all part of our story. This helps her see out the kick off the mission beautifully and positively knowing she made a difference which is what she set out to do and take care of finances With bare minimum burden. To continue to find her happiness comfortably uncomfortable for however long. We’re all trying to squeeze in our own moments with her because that’s the type of person you want to be around. We’ve promised to continue to uphold her and her mission. If you aren’t able to sponsor a bag now you can be sure to look for us in the future. <3
I thank you for reading our story, her story. For sharing our kick off mission near and far. For the future donations for the bags, for the future reach outs and everything in between as we map out the rest of journey together. We love you.
My mom was diagnosed with Melanoma Stage 4 about 4/5 years ago. Right from the start she was handed a crap hand. They were like hey you have a mole growing on the inside section of your toes and bam next thing you know she’s living with two missing toes. There just toes though right? That’s what we said at least, but I think it’s more than that. The emotional process and the infection that took place was a low blow right from the start. To this day she comfortably uncomfortably rocks flip flops and I find strength in her embracing her diagnosis right from the start. So then we were hit with lymphoma sometime after. Her leg would become huge, it would be like an elephant trunk, still to this day she does get flare ups. She would have to wrap it tightly, keep it up right, went to therapy. It meant laying around which is hard for a superwoman like my mother. The keeper of us all<3. She had surgery on her leg removing lymph nodes. What a journey already, am I right? She did two different chemo iv’s which didn’t end up working and the other made her incredibly sick it actually gave her a temporary G.I problem. My mom is BRAF + so there’s only certain medications that actually even benefit her so our list of medication to help was already shorted on us. She’s done different chemo pills, but is no longer taking chemo medications because of our recent diagnosis. Chemo pills and chemo iv all come with different side effects that you have to battle and cancer itself has so many different stages ... the illness is always evolving. Over the course of 4/5 years we’ve had pet scans that go from hey there’s some stable looking tumors..to this one grew, but this one shrank. We traveled 5/6 hours away for sometimes days at a time to see a Melanoma specialist. Full disclosure he looks like Einstein, no joke! They kept telling us it’s traveled here or there with a medication cocktail.. it was later found in her hip bone..yeah I said that..her melanoma is the tricky kind despite all the chemo medicine it moved throughout her body into her bones. If you didn’t know Melanoma could do that I suggest you start keeping yourself informed. Our recent pet scan they found 3 new spots in her bones and our specialist confirmed that unfortunately her Melanoma has entered the spinal fluid he called it something like melanoma meningitis. There’s more technical terms, but the take away is that Melanoma is cruel and has given all of us a small window with her. If you’re following us on Facebook my mom courageously opening her heart and told all her loved ones over the course of a week at least our very heartbreaking news. She had 10 rounds of radiation before that appointment too, just to tie that in with how beautiful she rocks the bald head, a typical cancer sign that my mom was able to avoid until the end stages of her cancer journey. It’s cliche somehow but really the first time I seen her bald head my insides cried. I knew I was looking at someone special I mean if you know this woman you know she’s something special but I saw all of her I seen a light around her, someone who I know is going to be a very special kind of angel. I understand why God might need her, she’s that extra special kind that you can’t get enough of. She rocks her bald head with such confidence and ease despite all the crazy itching that is driving her absolutely bananas. She doesn’t even know the strength and beauty that I see and feel radiate off her. She’s strong and outright beautiful inside and out. Shes handled every bit of torture that cancer has given her and still continues to do so. if you’re reading this story here I’m sure you have your own story, you have a loved one with a history of an illness and you see them as your person. She’s my person , our person<3 Someone who fights bravely with so much love even in a chapter in her life that is ending. We are racing time, slowing down moments to have her be our mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, an ex wife, a friend. I say this but I can’t imagine how fiercely exhaustingly all the love received can also be, but she does it so well and If that doesn’t get your attention on how special this lady is. <3 .
So here’s why the mission is so important to her & to all of us. It’s helping her kick off this mission leaving another special kind of mark in the world. It’s knowing she made a difference in someone’s very scary first chemo treatment like someone made for her when she received her first chemo treatment and box. It was a beautiful box at that. It’s leaving a part of her journey, her love and her support with someone else whose battling the unexpected and unexplainable.
The mission is to give both men and woman cancer patients who are going in for their first chemo treatment a thirty one bag full of goodies. She has stocked up on all kinds of bags and designs including zipper pouches and caddy bags. I must add that every time she talks about this mission she has always made sure that the men aren’t left out. That men don’t always get the attention they need for also fiercely fighting their battles. So she has made sure that she has bags for men. This was very important to her. Again I appreciate her always thinking of everyone else. She has all kinds of goodies from comfy socks, mouth wash, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, water, snacks, crossword puzzles, playing cards, chapsticks and sooo much more. We have open collections for donations on gently used appropriate items in filling the bags and has sold a few over time. I am hoping we can share near and far and surpass our goal. We plan to have a little note and then signed your friend (name included) . Mom has said right from the start she wanted it to be personal. I wouldn’t expect anything differently from her big fat heart though. That’s the kind of woman my mother has always been, someone I aspire to continue to be like. Someone whom I hope that we can help because she’s the kind of woman that you pray for a miracle for.
The donation for a thirty one bag plus the goodies and her special note would be $20. If you leave anonymous we will use grand babies names. Open collections for items inside the bags if you’d like to help that way you can reach out to me separately. <3 Bags will be delivered to various hospitals of my moms choice starting with Binghamton where she had her first chemo treatment. And bags will be put together over time by a wonderful team of supporters, our forever army <3
She’s invested in what little she was working with to continue to do good in the world, to spread love and light and support. My mother has spent her whole life spreading her love on all of us friends, family and strangers. I wish nothing more than to help kick off her mission in getting donations to give out her bags. The mission is going to be huge and it is something that my family and her friends and those who hold her close will always come back to. This is a mission for the long hall and we want continue to remind everyone how very important it is in understanding to the best of our ability about Melanoma. The goodness in my mother keeps her moral compass on point and getting her finances under wraps is a burden that keeps her stressing in a time when she is trying to live as positive & comfortable as possible. My mom was a stay at home mom most of her life she was handed back issues including several of surgery’s and cages and rods then this cruel Melanoma. She did have wonderful jobs throughout her life with solid friends, good bosses and experiences. However when someone like my mother shares her life with the world in a way that was already a struggle ..finically now she’s offered way below an acceptable amount to live off the last few years let alone die off. All of our buffalo trips and kicking off this amazing mission took credit cards. The bluntness is all part of our story. This helps her see out the kick off the mission beautifully and positively knowing she made a difference which is what she set out to do and take care of finances With bare minimum burden. To continue to find her happiness comfortably uncomfortable for however long. We’re all trying to squeeze in our own moments with her because that’s the type of person you want to be around. We’ve promised to continue to uphold her and her mission. If you aren’t able to sponsor a bag now you can be sure to look for us in the future. <3
I thank you for reading our story, her story. For sharing our kick off mission near and far. For the future donations for the bags, for the future reach outs and everything in between as we map out the rest of journey together. We love you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kaitlyn Callan
Organizer
Carbondale, PA
Michelle Callan
Beneficiary
