A beautiful soul, wonderful friend, gorgeous daughter and amazing sister.

When you think of old friends and you wonder what they have been up to, never would you think that they are lying in bed, barely able to move. Never would you think that they couldn’t even sit down and enjoy a meal with friends and family. Imagine learning that the beautiful heart of the daughter you bore, the sister you treasured or the friend you grew up with, was failing.

Melissa is 30 years young and is spending each day fighting for her life, and even though there are so many risks for her, she never ever fails to keep her wonderful, colourful soul alive. I have never met anyone as strong as Mel, as determined or as inspiring. Please read on.

Mel has had health issues most of her life, however, her failing heart is the biggest she has ever encountered.

Throughout the years Mel and her family have never ever asked for help, so it is time that we, their friends, family and community seek and provide the help they so sorely need.

Mel is currently battling a plethora of health issues that have made things very difficult for her and her family. So that you can have a have a clear and truthful understanding of this health tsunami, here is a brief outline of some of Mel’s biggest challenges:

·        Heart Failure – currently LVET39% (not good).  Left ventricle (LV) not pumping blood properly.  The Right ventricle is now being affected too.  Also, this has progressed to a global dysfunction of her heart. Put simply, Mel’s heart is unable to pump sufficient blood through her body to maintain the health of her other organs.

·        Gastroparesis – a complete paralysis of Mel’s stomach causing her to be unable to eat meals or solid food.  She is now being fed through a tube, thus limiting nutrient intake and her body’s ability to absorb the very medications that are keeping her alive.

·        Brachycardia –  is a lowering of heart rate below 60.  Mel’s is currently resting at 40 causing her to feel unwell and pass out.

·        Lupus Anticoagulant – Mel had cerebral venous sinus thrombolysis (blood clots on the brain) in October 2014. Her haematologist found that her blood has a lupus anticoagulant that makes her super prone to developing life threatening clots. She will be on blood thinners for life.

Not only that but she is also suffering from:

·        Ehlos-Danlos Syndrome – a defect of all collagen in the body, making it weak and unstable hence multiple dislocations of the joints.  Collagen is the basis of every organ even the skin and eyes, heart and brain.

·        Narcolepsy – the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles.

·        Cataplexy – part of narcolepsy, causes the body to become paralysed without losing consciousness. 

·        POTS – Postural Orthostatic Tachycardic Syndrome.  A sudden drop in blood pressure and high increase in heart rate when changing positions causing her to lose consciousness.  If her heart rate becomes too high it can have severe consequences.

·        Sinus Rhythm – the sinus rhythm controls the electrical signals in the heart telling it when to beat.  Mel’s is malfunctioning causing her heart to stop at times.

·        Thyroiditis – the inflammation of the thyroid gland causing both symptoms excessive tiredness, hot and cold sweats and bouts of depression.

·        Severe endometriosis – Mel has already had 3 surgeries for this and will need another next year.

·        Arthritis – Mel has arthritis in 14 joints, both feet, both ankles, both knees, both hands (all fingers), both wrists, both elbows and both shoulders, 3 protruding in vertebrae, 2 in her neck and 1 between her shoulders.

·        Undiagnosed Immune Condition – all specialists agree Mel has an underlying immune condition, which reacts to the simplest things. The triggers could be sunlight, or even a  random flower, hence she has been told to stay out of the sun.  The specialists agree the immune condition is the main contributing factor to the other health conditions.

·        Myoclonus convulsions – these are part of full body spasms (look similar to seizures) and they hurt - a lot.

·        Dystonia convulsions – these cause all the muscles to tighten and body to contort to unnatural positions.

·        PTSD – from all the medical tests and procedures and hospital visits/surgeries.

Due to all these conditions Mel has been advised not to have children as a pregnancy and labour/birth would most likely kill her. But not only that, she could pass some of these conditions on to her child.

Mel and her family have been on a dark journey and we simply want to help them as much as possible.

Mel has recently had surgery to insert a feeding tube so she can consume the nutrients her body so desperately needs. This process is not cheap: feeding tubes, sterilizing equipment, syringes and all the other medical supplies are needed for her feeds. On top of that, Mel also needs a new walker and wheelchair, an INR machine to monitor her blood clot risk, and an IV stand.  Her monthly feeds will be expensive and they will need to flush the feeding tube every 4 hours, and each time it will need to be done with a sterile syringe, saline etc. so more added expenses for them. 

Mel still has a long road ahead of her and if you could please spare anything to help her and her family on that long journey, it would be greatly appreciated.

Even $5.00 goes a long way.

Thank you.