Three years ago I was delighted to see a healthy, happy Mel Moon take part in the final of the Funny Women Awards 2011. She had previously battled illness and I had encouraged her ‘come back’ by bending the competition rules a bit as she was slightly outside of the time limit – I figured that she could cancel out the two years she had missed due to ill health.
It’s therefore particular gutting to know that the demons are back and I would like you to read how she is dealing with it, in her own rhyming words below.
A Poem by Mel Moon
This time last year I sat at home,
working away on my laptop alone,
thinking of Christmas and how happy my boys,
would be as they unwrapped all their brand new toys.
I thought to the new year and how bright it seemed,
Planned my resolutions nearing me to my dreams,
But I felt a bit sleepy and so rested my head,
Oblivious to the hardship that lay ahead.
February brought tragedy a tumour I faced,
April it's removal and treatment embraced.
The battles got harder and the pain tough to bear,
But I fought on regardless with those I loved there.
July came the news that my brain wasn't well,
How bad was the damage? It was so hard to tell.
The pills seemed to multiply with each week that passed,
And at times I feared this bedtime would be my last.
But the spirit was strong where the body was weak,
And for those little boys I would not take defeat,
So I swallowed the tablets, smiled through the IV,
Figured recovery was closer to me.
In September the blow that I was being denied,
A treatment to better and prolong my life.
I was so very angry these doctors had made,
A decision that saw me in a premature grave.
They'd been so very caring and had saved my life,
But funds were low and they could not do it twice.
And then in October when the diabetes came,
It was one thing too many, I gave up, I'm ashamed!
Then in November a crazy act of kindness arrived,
That made me so grateful I was still alive.
I saw loved ones and strangers, new friends and old,
Give to me a gift far more precious than good!
So this year as I look ahead to the Christmas In store,
I'm still as excited to see my children adore,
And delight in the shiny new toys Santa brings,
And ill treasure each out of tune carol they sing.
But my New Year resolutions are simple this time,
The career it can wait and my life is just fine.
All I want is to be a healthy everything else can wait!
So what if I make bad choices and still need to lose weight.
Those resolutions can wait until next year.
This time I'm just grateful I'm still bloody here!!!!!
Mel’s sense of humour shines through in her words despite the fact that her cognitive function has gone along with her adrenal glands. She suffers from a rare condition known as Polyglandular Failure or Pituitary Disease. Currently her liver no longer functions well and her thyroid and pituitary glands have failed. As a result she is left with several chronic, life threatening illnesses that leave her bed ridden.
BUT there is a drug out there known as IGF1 that could improve the quality of her life by 100%. This comes at a price as it is not available on the NHS as the condition is so rare and funds are limited.
Mel lives with her partner Kris Scholes and their two young sons and he has set up a Just Giving page as they need £7k in total to fund a whole year of Mel's treatment. £1,000 of this will cover her initial consultation at UCHL and vital testing. This will also cover a week’s supply of the IGF1.
Speaking about Mel, Kris says: “If you could see what little life she leads, even the hardest would agree, everyone deserves a life that can be lived, not slept away. And my little boys need their Mum.”
Need I say more? Please give generously – go to Kris's Just Giving page HERE.
Lynne Parker is the founder and executive producer of Funny Women
Pictured top: Mel performs in the 2011 Final of the Funny Women Awards and bottom: Mel and her partner Kris Scholes.
