United to Fight--Team Mel

Our school secretary is battling a particularly aggressive lymphoma, Burkitt's Lymphoma. She has undergone the most grueling chemotherapy of anyone I have ever known. Right now she is struggling to get her white count up enough to have the last two rounds of chemo that bathes her brain to keep the cells from climbing in.  Something else, arachno---- gripped her spine (from the many lumbar punctures) and paralyzed her from the waist down. Her first grand baby is due in October and she wants her life back. Tonight the restaurant where her daughter worked for 6 years as she put herself through college held a fundraiser for Melanie and it was packed. It was a very gratifying evening, her children, her mother in law, her children's spouses, teachers and administrators from all over the corporation, and life long friends of Melanie were and are in attendance. Beef O'Brady's is such a  terrific participant in the community, they do so much for so many and this was particularly wonderful. Our sweet tiny little Melanie has this cancer most common in young teenage boys of African descent. She does not fit the profile at all making this a difficult and unexpected diagnosis.  If you stop by here and read, rattle the universe, speak a prayer, send a warm thought of healing to a lovely lady who needs and appreciates all she gets from every corner of the earth.