I met Mel on the macmillan share forums in 2007. Sadly, she passed away on 11th May 2008 from non-hodgkins lymphoma.
I never got to meet Mel in person but we used to chat online until the early hours talking about food mainly (thank you steroids, haha), she was the first person to recommend lots of good head wear to me!
Anyway, Mel wrote an online blog while she was was going through her treatment, her Dad (Ian) also had an online blog, called One Day At A Time. Mel and her Dad said that once she was better, they wanted to write a book so other people could read about her journey. Sadly, Mel didn't get better but her Dad has now published a book which also includes the entries on their blogs. A good portion of the money received will be split and given to the hospital where Mel was treated and the Lymphoma Association.
On Ian's website ( http://www.mad4mel.co.uk ) he wrote "After Mel had passed away, I decided to use our respective blogs and write Mel's story. My one concern was that with the story having the saddest of endings, I didn't want to scare people. Seventy-five per cent of people in Mel's situation do recover and that has to be remembered. In writing Mel's story I want to convey her bravery and courage whilst at the same time be informative about how you deal with life when you're given this awful news. The help that is available from charitable organisations. The help that isn't available from the government, if, like Mel, you're a student. How do you cope with the waiting, the watching, the good news and the bad. I also want to put across how we, as parents, dealt with (and continue to deal with) these life changing events."
If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, there are more details on Ian's website.
Hayley
**Sleep tight Mel, missing you xxx**
