Melanie's Journey
Donation protected
The Backstory - I realize this is long- but it's worth the read, I promise!
There comes a time in your life when you have to step back and assess the situation and, although it is uncomfortable for you, you must ask for help. However, for my dear friend Melanie, that is the polar opposite of how she has lived her life. She has always been the “giver,” as was her husband, Tony, who passed away in November after a long battle with cancer. It was always a treat for any adult or child to visit Tony and Mel’s. They would welcome you with a bottle of homemade wine, offer whatever amazing food Mel was preparing in the kitchen, sit and talk, or walk around the property and pick the latest harvest from their garden to give to you. If a holiday came and you had nowhere to go, Mel insisted you join them and bring anyone along. If you were one of her regular customers at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, where she was a server, she always had a bottle of wine to give or a special surprise for your son’s or daughter’s birthday. She also worked as a florist at Whole Foods where customers knew her by name and loved her work.
The Cause
2020 has not been kind to many of us, but it has been exceptionally brutal for Melanie. As a three-time survivor of thyroid cancer, she thought her health was fairing pretty well. She had just spent the prior two years caring for her very sick husband and put her own health on the back burner. Just eight short months after Tony’s passing, Melanie was diagnosed with a growth between her brain and her skull, commonly referred to as a meningioma. It was rather large, over 6 cm, but she had the very best neurosurgeon and she wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible so she could comfortably move on with her life. It would entail intense rehabilitation for her speech as well as the use of her entire right side. Her mindset was strong, and she was up for the challenge. The tumor was removed on July 23 and, for all intents and purposes, the surgery was successful. Exactly two months after the first surgery, she was readmitted to the hospital, as the site of the wound became severely infected. They needed to go back in and essentially repeat the surgery but, more importantly, treat the infection as it could very likely turn into meningitis. Again, Mel was a trooper, but it was quite a set back because she hadn’t entirely recovered from the initial surgery and wasn’t close to being back to normal. Mel was released six days after the second surgery to her home, where she lives alone and where her family and friends were taking turns caring for her. Two days after her release from the hospital, she suffered several seizures brought on by a hematoma at the site of the surgery. Mel is now back in the hospital and has a long road ahead of her as they try to stop the frequent seizures. From there she will move to an extended stay in rehab.
This Go Fund Me Page is being set up to help defray Melanie’s living costs as well as the extensive medical costs she continues to incur. She has been unable to work since July and has no income coming in other than social security. The bills are piling up and she will be unable to work, once she is released from the hospital, for quite some time. This exceptionally giving person now needs to “take” from others in order to survive. Therefore, unbeknown to her at this time, I am asking for your help for Melanie. Please consider donating whatever you can. I hope that, in your lifetime, you are blessed enough to know someone as giving and warm as Mel is.
There comes a time in your life when you have to step back and assess the situation and, although it is uncomfortable for you, you must ask for help. However, for my dear friend Melanie, that is the polar opposite of how she has lived her life. She has always been the “giver,” as was her husband, Tony, who passed away in November after a long battle with cancer. It was always a treat for any adult or child to visit Tony and Mel’s. They would welcome you with a bottle of homemade wine, offer whatever amazing food Mel was preparing in the kitchen, sit and talk, or walk around the property and pick the latest harvest from their garden to give to you. If a holiday came and you had nowhere to go, Mel insisted you join them and bring anyone along. If you were one of her regular customers at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, where she was a server, she always had a bottle of wine to give or a special surprise for your son’s or daughter’s birthday. She also worked as a florist at Whole Foods where customers knew her by name and loved her work.
The Cause
2020 has not been kind to many of us, but it has been exceptionally brutal for Melanie. As a three-time survivor of thyroid cancer, she thought her health was fairing pretty well. She had just spent the prior two years caring for her very sick husband and put her own health on the back burner. Just eight short months after Tony’s passing, Melanie was diagnosed with a growth between her brain and her skull, commonly referred to as a meningioma. It was rather large, over 6 cm, but she had the very best neurosurgeon and she wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible so she could comfortably move on with her life. It would entail intense rehabilitation for her speech as well as the use of her entire right side. Her mindset was strong, and she was up for the challenge. The tumor was removed on July 23 and, for all intents and purposes, the surgery was successful. Exactly two months after the first surgery, she was readmitted to the hospital, as the site of the wound became severely infected. They needed to go back in and essentially repeat the surgery but, more importantly, treat the infection as it could very likely turn into meningitis. Again, Mel was a trooper, but it was quite a set back because she hadn’t entirely recovered from the initial surgery and wasn’t close to being back to normal. Mel was released six days after the second surgery to her home, where she lives alone and where her family and friends were taking turns caring for her. Two days after her release from the hospital, she suffered several seizures brought on by a hematoma at the site of the surgery. Mel is now back in the hospital and has a long road ahead of her as they try to stop the frequent seizures. From there she will move to an extended stay in rehab.
This Go Fund Me Page is being set up to help defray Melanie’s living costs as well as the extensive medical costs she continues to incur. She has been unable to work since July and has no income coming in other than social security. The bills are piling up and she will be unable to work, once she is released from the hospital, for quite some time. This exceptionally giving person now needs to “take” from others in order to survive. Therefore, unbeknown to her at this time, I am asking for your help for Melanie. Please consider donating whatever you can. I hope that, in your lifetime, you are blessed enough to know someone as giving and warm as Mel is.
Organizer and beneficiary
Elizabeth Shea
Organizer
Portland, CT
Melanie Giuliani
Beneficiary