Support Melissa Brown's Medical Journey

If you have been in the Parsons area for any time at all, there is no doubt that you know Melissa Brown. She is best known for founding Safe Haven Outreach Mission in 2010 where she has helped hundreds of people struggling with homelessness, little to no finances, helping people find jobs and homes and has even walked with those struggling with addiction. Melissa possesses the personality to get in there and get things done. Her approach comes from her amazing strength and knowledge and through her faith in her Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Melissa has been battling health issues since around 2023 when she was tired all the time with no energy. After a blood draw at the doctor’s office and finding her hemoglobin at 6.2 they immediately gave her 2 units of blood. Since then she has had several blood transfusions. They then sent her to Pittsburg to see a Hematologist who thought maybe she needed a colonoscopy to see where the blood loss was coming from. From there she was sent to a surgeon in Galena who determined a colonoscopy was not needed but wanted to do a capsule endoscopy where she would swallow a capsule with a tiny camera and the camera takes thousands of pictures of her small intestines. They found bleeding polyps in her small intestines. She would need to schedule removal of these polyps in Kansas City.

While waiting on insurance approval for the procedure, Melissa woke up one morning with stabbing back pain in her upper back. After a trip to Urgent Care, the Nurse Practitioner wasn’t sure what it could be, ordered some lab work and gave her two shots for pain and told her to follow-up with her doctor. Before she could leave the hospital they received a call from the hospital and told her she needed another blood transfusion. While waiting on the transfusion they did a scan of where the stabbing pain was in her back. They discovered through lab work and the scan that she has Stage 4 Cirrhosis of the Liver.

In December of 2024, she was also diagnosed with a prolapsed bladder for the second time and she will be going for a second repair surgery in Tulsa in October.

She recently went to KU and had 5.2 lbs. of fluid removed from her abdomen.

She had a PET scan at Mercy two months ago and is scheduled for a second PET scan this Thursday, July 24, 2025.

She continues to travel to Pittsburg, Galena, Joplin, Tulsa, Kansas City and Overland Park for doctor appointments and treatments.

I write all of this to say, Melissa and Mark Brown are facing a lot of challenges and uncertainties right now. She is missing out on so much as she has to stay home as much as possible and all she wants is to be able to enjoy her family - her husband, their kids and their grandkids. The medical bills have started to find their way to their mailbox and they have had a lot of travel expenses just trying to find out what is wrong, for future appointments, surgeries and treatments.

I am asking you to first to pray for Melissa, Mark and her family. Melissa needs a healing miracle in her body that only can be done through prayer.

Secondly, I have started this Go Fund Me as a way to help them with immediate and future expenses. If you want to donate directly to Melissa you can contact me and I will let you know where to drop off the monetary donations.

Thank you for your prayers and for any donation - big or small. They appreciate each and every one of you!

Janet Olson