Melissa Eadie

Melissa at a costume party!

Fighting crime, saving citizens, doing the unthinkable, a hero, what is it? To society a hero is someone who stands out above the rest, helps others in need, and is the ideal person in a community. Society thinks that a hero is a public figure, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Jason L. Dunham, and JK Rowling. When in reality a hero could be a neighbor, a friend, or a family member. To me, a hero is someone who is fearless, someone who makes mistakes, someone who turns something sad into a good situation, someone who inspires others, and someone who rises to the occasion. My hero is my cousin, Melissa Amber Eadie.

Melissa on her front porch ( ())

Melissa Eadie was born on May 13, 1992 to Jim and Jill Eadie. As a child, she lived a healthy normal life, playing with friends, learning, singing her heart out, and dancing to all different types of music.  She made movies such as, The Christmas Story, with her cousins. She currently lives in Stafford, Virginia, and her life is better than ever, but in the beginning of May 2006, at age 14, Melissa was diagnosed with bone cancer. She was at home when she noticed that something was wrong with her right leg, so her parents took her to the doctor, where they confirmed that she had Osteosarcoma cancer. Osteosarcoma cancer is a cancerous tumor of the bone, usually in the arms, legs, and pelvis bones, and it is the most common primary cancer which usually occurs during an adolescent growth spurt. Melissa talks about her initial reaction to the cancer. "When I found out I had no emotion, I accepted the fact," she comments, "however, when I learned that I was going to lose my hair I lost it because I thought my hair was my best feature. I was just a mess." Vanessa and Ashley, Melissa's cousins, were with Melissa days before the news was given to the family. "We were at her house watching a movie, when she said that her leg started to hurt and she needed to put ice on it. She always wore jeans so it was hard to tell if anything was wrong," states Vanessa, "I was shocked that she had cancer, and I was sad that she was in pain."

Melissa, and friends ( ())

In ninth grade I wrote a poem about Melissa's cancer. "Tick tock, the clock on the wall/sounds through the room. /The lobby fills with family from all over. /Tick tock. /Sitting, waiting, crying, scared. /Tick tock." The poem talks about her life experiences over the next 4 years and how Melissa fought against the cancer, having to go through chemotherapy, and the medicines, and the IVs in her chest. Over those 4 years Melissa taught me many things, but one was to be strong and happy about whatever came her way.

After the chemotherapy was over and the treatments were done, the cancer finally went away. Months passed, and everything was checked out perfectly, except when they found out that Melissa had a staph infection in her right leg where the cancer had been. Melissa told me about her feelings on the infection, "I was disappointed when I found out that there was another problem. But I knew that it was just another thing I would be able to get fixed, and I was able to get through it." Through the treatments and the medicines, the doctors were able to get rid of the staph infection but only for a short time. Unfortunately, the infection kept returning, but Melissa was strong and pushed through the pain and suffering.  She overcame the obstacle, but only to face more. 

Right after surgery ( ())

In late August, Melissa went back for, what she thought, was going to be her last surgery, which turned out to save her life. The doctors were examining her leg, making sure that all was well, when they suddenly came across something that didn’t seem right.  As they looked closer, they realized that the cancer had come back, and they had caught it just in time. The doctor talked to my Uncle Jim, Melissa's father, they said that they could sit and wait, or they could amputate her leg before the cancer spread to the rest of her body. The Eadie Family wanted time to talk it over, but the only solution looked like the leg had to be amputated before it grew worse. "When I first found out I was a complete mess. My exact words to the doctor were, "no no no no hunny." I cried the whole day because I thought that everything that I had worked for and accomplished was now going down the drain, but once I realized that losing my leg was better than losing my life, I came to the point where I was ok with what was happening," Melissa recalls.

After the news of her leg being amputated was given to the parents of each family, it was time to tell the kids. I was shocked when my father told me about Melissa. I knew that she had to have one more surgery, but having to take her leg, I burst out crying. I cried into the night and didn't get to sleep till late. The next day was a special day at my school, and my dad gave me a choice to either go to school, or stay home. I knew that Melissa wouldn't want me to be away from school, so I got dressed and I left, but when I got to school I broke down, and my close friends comforted me. The hardest thing to get over was the fact that Melissa was a ballet dancer; losing her leg would affect her dancing majorly, but then my dad told me that she would find a way to do what she loves to do, dance.  Ashley states, "I was extremely surprised and sad that she had to have her leg amputated and I thought it was unexpected."

Melissa a few weeks after surgery. ( ())

"My inspiration is this one motivational speaker, his name is Josh Sundquist," Melissa says. Josh Sundquist is a motivational speaker, author, and a Paralympic ski racer. Josh was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and was given a 50% chance of living at the age of 9. After a year of chemotherapy, his left leg was unfortunately amputated. Three years after being cleared of the cancer, Josh took up skiing.  In 2006 he was named to the US Paralympic Ski team in Turnio, Italy. Josh Sundquist was and still is Melissa’s inspiration for all that she does. 

Today Melissa lives a normal life, hanging with friends, singing songs, and being a college student. "The hardest thing is probably getting around. I'm a clean freak and it's really hard not being able to clean anymore. I’ll figure it out one day," Melissa states about her everyday life. "What I have to say to those going through the same thing is not to give up on your dreams. This just makes you a more unique you, and you can grow so much from this. Have faith that you'll get through this. There will be hard days but everything happens for a reason and you just have to come to terms with that," says Melissa Eadie.  Melissa drives herself to school, at Germanna Community College, every day without help. "Driving is a new experience, haha," she said as she laughed, "but it is coming along." She lives life to the fullest not letting the absence of her leg hold her back. "Survivor. Lovely. Strong. /She stands tall and proud." Melissa is my cousin, and my hero. 

WORKS CITED:

     Bone Cancer - "UVA Health Home." UVA Health: University of Virginia's World-class Care. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

Eadie, Melissa A., Vanessa M. Eadie, and Ashley C. Eadie. Telephone interview. 4 Dec. 2011.

   "Josh Sundquist Bio." Motivational Speaker Josh Sundquist | Bestselling Author of Just Don't Fall. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

   Raghavendran, Beena. "Against All Odds - News." The Diamondback - University of Maryland. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .