Live, Laugh, Love for Melinda in Gold Coast, Queensland | Community organisation

Live, Laugh, Love for Melinda

Locality: Gold Coast, Queensland

Address: 3128 Surfers Paradise Blvd 4217 Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Website: bit.ly/2SdnUsq

Likes: 812

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• Charitable organisation
• Community organisation

25.01.2022 Hi all, The world seems to get crazier by the day, but Melinda continues to fight on with her treatments despite the very difficult new range of challenges that the isolation & restrictions are causing. After being in & out of hospital for most of February & recovering at home through the first weeks of March; Melinda had finally been really looking forward to seeing friends & family again, but of course frustratingly that is no longer possible for the foreseeable future. M...entally, that has been particularly tough. Melinda has continued to endure unfortunate complications post-surgery and/or severe side-effects from her current chemotherapy regime. Sadly, this means she continues to live with a lot of pain which is adversely affecting her quality of life. The ongoing pattern of a couple of steps forward followed by steps back is source of great frustration & fatigue. Results from Melinda’s first 2 rounds of the new chemotherapy regime have not been great as her cancer tumour markers continue to rise rapidly and there is a risk that this treatment is not working. On the positive side, her liver function has improved since treatment started, some acute tumour-specific pain has subsided somewhat & her immune system is still strong thanks to the multiple immunotherapy treatments she received in Japan last year. Her oncologists have adjusted the dose for round 3 that took place last Thursday and will be monitoring closely and on stand-by to change the plan if treatment proves to be ineffective. Mini is emotionally & mentally drained from the constant fight. From being fit & healthy and virtually clear of cancer mid-January to having everything cruelly flipped on its head since late January & her access to treatment options offshore, interstate & even regionally being severely limited now has been extremely difficult to cope with. Praying for my sister to finally to catch a break. Thanks for all your continued love, support & kind thoughts. Love Alana x

24.01.2022 Hi All As noted yesterday, in lieu of giving flowers for the service, Melinda’s family have suggested a donation to Grace Gawler Institute for Cancer Survivorship & Research. Grace’s not-for-profit organisation is very close to Melinda’s heart, as she helped her immeasurably in her brave battle with cancer by facilitating her overseas treatments and connections to their vast network of cutting edge medical professionals and specialists all around the globe, along with compas...sionate support & guidance throughout her journey. A special page for Melinda Ferszt Fund has been created & details the amazing work the Grace Gawler Institute performs https://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/melinda-ferszt-fund To donate* by Credit Card use this link and click on ‘donate’ https://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/melinda-ferszt-fund To donate* via Bank Transfer: Grace Gawler Institute Gift Account BSB: 633 000 Account Number: 141203455 Bendigo Bank Paradise Point Branch Qld *Receipts can be provided on provision of name and contact email

23.01.2022 Hi Family and Friends, Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus the fundraiser for Melinda at Pink Flamingo has been postponed. Thank you to everyone who was planning on going and showing your support. ... Hopefully the event will happen in the near future Xx

20.01.2022 Family & Friends You are invited to a wonderful charity night for our gorgeous Melinda at the Pink Flamingo Gold Coast on Wednesday 1st April. This is a show that Melinda LOVES and the owners have kindly donated their venue and show for 1 big fabulous night only!! ... All ticket sales will go to Melinda and the on going treatment and mounting bills. Doors will open from 6:30pm for pre show entertainment. Tickets are $88 per person. Please call 1800 289 669 and quote the code word 'Melinda88'. This is an incredible show and a night not to miss. I hope to see you there. Alana xx

20.01.2022 Hi All, Just a reminder the service to honour and celebrate the life of beautiful Melinda will be held tomorrow Friday 7th August 2020 at 2pm. Click link for service here: https://youtu.be/ryeBRLRqcBw Please see attached order of service... In lieu of sending flowers, the family has suggested a donation to The Grace Gawler Institute for Cancer Survivorship and Research. A special page for the Melinda Ferszt Fund has been created and details the amazing work the Grace Gawler Institute performs. To donate please click link to donate https://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/melinda-ferszt-fund

16.01.2022 Hi All, Some of Melinda’s service will be held outside so if you are attending could we please ask that you bring an umbrella just in the off chance it rains. Please click link to service which starts at 2:00pm https://youtu.be/ryeBRLRqcBw ... In lieu of sending flowers, the family has suggested a donation to The Grace Gawler Institute for Cancer Survivorship and Research. A special page for the Melinda Ferszt Fund has been created and details the amazing work the Grace Gawler Institute performs. To donate please click link https://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/melinda-ferszt-fund

15.01.2022 Hi all, Min’s 37th birthday was yesterday, but unfortunately it was a tough & cruel day for her with the treatment regime keeping her bed ridden all day in significant pain. She acknowledges the hundreds of amazing & thoughtful birthdays wishes & pressies she knows are waiting for her once she is feeling better to read, open, enjoy and respond to. We are hoping today is a better day for her and as a family we can make up for yesterday. Mini’s strength & determination knows ...no bounds. In the middle of May she was dangerously ill with her condition so bad that her Oncologists indicated that she likely only had a couple of weeks left. But it has been nearly 4 weeks since then & she keeps on fighting for her ‘miracle’. Last week Melinda was well enough for GCUH to start her on a last-resort treatment which runs for 28-day cycles. The regime had not been offered previously, as hospital system protocol will only allow access to it once all other treatment options have been exhausted due to the cost. Although the drug’s statistics of success are not great, we have hope that it will have some impact in reducing Melinda’s liver tumours and stabilizing the disease for a period of time, so as to be able to access targeted or unconventional treatments interstate or overseas in the coming weeks and months as the COVID-19 restrictions ease further. Thank you to everyone for all of your love and support. Alana xx

15.01.2022 Hi Family and Friends, It would be understatement to say that the last few weeks have been an absolute nightmare. Melinda has had zero quality of life for 8 weeks; it has been mostly bed, house-isolation, trips to the ER, hospital admissions or clinic consultations. Melinda’s pain is ongoing & escalating; it is difficult and inhumane to watch her endure it, but everything offered to help comes at a cost of debilitating side-effects; abnormal blood counts, increasing tumour m...arkers and liver function is not improving and getting steadily worse by the day. She has severe patient fatigue. Her major surgery from 4 weeks ago has healed well, but the removal of her primary tumour in the bowel has had the effect of ‘cutting a head off a live snake’ the remaining cancer in her liver has gone ballistic with her tumours growing in size rapidly & multiple new ones developing. It has been confirmed that the cancer lesions are the source of her pain and are rampantly devastating her liver by the day. The cancer mutations were already aggressive & the shock ovarian mass recently removed has seen a couple of new, very nasty mutations come into the picture. Due to the surgery, any form of cancer treatment could not be performed for 6-8 weeks by some opinions, and 4-6 weeks by others. It’s been 4 weeks & two days. After 3 x consultations so far this week with exceptional & experienced oncologists, everyone can concur that Melinda needs URGENT & IMMEDIATE treatment of the cancer. Doing nothing might give her weeks; not months, let alone years. It needs to be dealt with, and although she has just left the 4-week window, she needs to take the risk of immediate treatment. Time has run out in respect of canvassing or trying to arrange the multitude of other potential treatment options that could possibly play a future part in Melinda’s journey, and COVID-19 restrictions on travel and anticipated huge stress on hospitals have narrowed options further. Based on the oncologists’ opinions, Melinda has started a new regime of intravenous chemotherapy today. If they can control the cancer and reduce it again, then other options may come into play. The random ovary growth which appeared from nowhere in late January, has been devastatingly detrimental to Melinda’s health, wellbeing and medical journey. Alana xx

13.01.2022 Melinda Ferszt Lived Laughed Loved.and sadly, gone too soon A service to honour and celebrate the life of beautiful Melinda will be held on Friday 7th August 2020 at 2pm. Due to Queensland Government’s COVID-19 restrictions, the capacity for in-person attendance is restricted to 100 persons and will be strictly enforced by the venue and service provider. We appreciate that Melinda was well loved and has touched the lives of so many people, but with great regret the family... has been forced to limit attendance to closest family and friends. Therefore, the service will also be live streamed online for those of you overseas, interstate, or intrastate who are unable to attend in person. Click link for service here: https://youtu.be/ryeBRLRqcBw In lieu of sending flowers, the family has suggested a donation to The Grace Gawler Institute for Cancer Survivorship and Research. More details on how to donate to come. Any questions please contact Alana Stevens at [email protected]

12.01.2022 Latest update on Melinda: Unfortunately, a MRI scan has shown that the last 8 weeks of Melinda’s brutal chemotherapy regime at GCUH has been ineffective. It’s not working and the cancer in her liver is progressing aggressively at a rapid rate, causing her a lot of pain & incredible discomfort. GCUH have said that they have no further options for her. Oncologists in both the public & private systems, her international doctors & various consultants agree that Melinda’s cancer... type is behaving in a very unusual manner and that it’s odd that she was getting no response at all from recent treatment. A liver biopsy of tumour tissue was conducted earlier in the week to get a better understanding of what they are dealing with at a molecular level. We are waiting on these results. As if Mini wasn’t enduring enough, she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance late on Tuesday night with a dangerously high fever of 39.5 degrees. Blood tests have shown that Melinda has dangerously low haemoglobin, iron & immune system levels due to the last 8 weeks of completely non-beneficial treatment. She has had 2 x blood transfusions, an iron infusion, multiple white blood cell injections & several courses of anti-biotics and has now just been informed a positive test to bacteria in her blood. Melinda remains hospitalized, unsure of when she will be allowed to return home which has been extremely tough on family & the kids. We wish Melinda a speedy recovery & await results of the biopsy, hoping it may open up some new treatment paths in the private sector locally and for COVID-19 restrictions to be lifted so she can access non-local available treatments. Timing is now critical whilst Melinda still has a decent level of good functioning liver to support further treatment. Thank you so much for all your beautiful messages and support. Love Alana and family xxx

12.01.2022 Hi all, Unfortunately, I have to share with you more bad news.... Min was discharged from hospital Saturday night, but by Sunday afternoon she has suffered relentless, 24/7 excruciating nerve pain from the rapid tumour growth.... Sadly, she has been readmitted back into hospital today. It’s unknown when she will be released as they need to get the pain under control. If you have tried to reach out to Min in the past few days, unfortunately she hasn’t been in any condition to read or respond, but she is aware of the incredible support. Min wants to thank everyone for their love, care & kind thoughts. Love Alana

08.01.2022 Hi all, After 4 x hospital admissions & 3 x Emergency Dept visits to GCUH, a 6-hour major open surgery and now enduring a painful and uncomfortable ongoing recovery... Melinda is glad to see the end of February!! I am unable to properly articulate in words what Melinda has gone through so suddenly but this experience has been incredibly hard to witness. After several unforeseen complications, my brave sister has just been discharged and has returned home for what we hope is... the last time. The last month has been incredibly difficult emotionally with so much uncertainty about Melinda's condition and forward treatment. To go from the 15th January 2020 MRI scan showing the best condition in her cancer journey to date, to growing a mysterious 25 x10cm tumour and needing open surgery just days later to remove it, has been a shock and wake-up call that cancer is a dangerous and unpredictable beast! With rigorous testing underway this week we should have a very detailed picture of exactly what she is dealing with, why the sudden growth occurred & the origin as there remains a lot of unanswered questions. This testing comes at a huge cost, but it’s the only option for Melinda to verify a 100% correct diagnosis for the recent growth. That will determine the next steps for precise & accurate treatment on her liver. She just needs to rest, recover and rebuild energy at this time. Melinda wanted to thank everyone for their beautiful, kind & touching messages of love and support and is looking forward to being back in contact and to her full self ASAP. She wants us all to love, embrace & enjoy all the little everyday things in life with family & friends and find happiness in even the most mundane of everyday home or work tasks....life is too short! Alana Xx https://au.gofundme.com/put-melinda-first-ferszt

03.01.2022 To helping you walk for the first time post op to hanging out in the hospital or just hanging out in bed together. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just love being with YOU. Such a special person who cares for everyone else more than herself doesn’t deserve this. We will never give up We still have a long way to go but all your love, support & generous donations are helping to keep our ‘Mini’ with us for a long time to come xx... https://au.gofundme.com/put-melinda-first-ferszt

03.01.2022 Hi all it’s hard to believe it’s already been 2 months today since our beautiful Melinda left us. We think about her every day & she will forever be in our hearts. Just to update everyone on the funds raised at Melinda’s service for the Grace Gawler Institution in lieu of flowers. Over $5000 has been raised to date and the Grace Gawler Institute is going to use the funds to create a living legacy for Melinda with the creation & production of a comprehensive Handbook for c...olon cancer - published in hard copy and ebook to be launched around International Women’s Day in March 2021. There is an increasing worldwide trend with people in their 20's and 30's diagnosed with colon cancer - often at a late stage when the cancer has already metastasised, as in Melinda's case. Whatever the cause, late stage colon cancer in younger people is a reality because no one ever thought that people in this age group would succumb to this diagnosis. This is why so many have gone under the radar for a long time with obscure symptoms and according to statistics, often visiting 4-5 different doctors prior to eventual diagnosis. The goal is to make a difference to that particular group of young people. The book aims to be a functional and practical handbook for younger patients to help them navigate their way through colon cancer, covering pre-diagnosis (symptoms for young people to be aware of), right through to treatments and including the approach and decision-making processes put into practise throughout Melinda's colon cancer experience. Melinda’s overseas doctors and local specialists will contribute to a medical section, a chapter will focus on fundraising & support networks and Mark would contribute to a chapter from a carer's perspective. The Handbook would be to bring awareness, education and provide enough information and tools for readers to be proactive and written in a way that makes information accessible. Funds raised from the sale of the Handbook would go back into the GGI gift account to further research into colon cancer prevention and early diagnosis. https://www.gracegawlerinstitute.com/melinda-ferszt-fund Love Alana and family xx