Sweet Melissa
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kerry Craven. I’ve known the Cohen family, initially through Ardis and the business, for over 20 years. Melissa was a high school junior or senior when, if memory serves me, she cart-wheeled into the room – fresh out of a gymnastics class – the day we met. When Ardis and Scott asked me to say a few words, I thought I CAN do this if I simply hear Melissa’s voice screaming in my ear…..just get the job done, just get the job done…..so with her “gentle” chiding, I’ll get through this…..no tears in the audience will help greatly, too.
Like many of you here, I fell in love with Melissa’s spirit, her smile, her exuberance for life and, as Holly mentioned so beautifully in her guest book entry yesterday, her fire. The words “no, that can’t be done” never or rarely crossed her lips. She was a force to be reckoned with.
Stanley was a truly passionate creature…..about everything in her life……her film career, her intense love of the outdoors, Disney movies, her animals, her love of children, Dimetri’s Greek food, horror films…….but first and foremost was the love of her husband, her family and her friends.
Her diagnosis three years ago was incredulous….to her and to all of us. But, like the worst show, or the most nightmare of a job, she undertook the art of coordinating……she researched, and read, and educated herself – and anyone else who wanted to listen - well beyond what any doctor could imagine. She was intimately familiar with her cancer and was never ever afraid to discuss any element of her treatment with professionals and lay people alike.
She re-invented the word survivor and made no bones about the fact that she would not give up trying. And, she never did.
From day one, she has had an enormous and valiant ‘crew’…….spearheaded by her Knight in Shining armor, Scott. He has been there for all of the surgeries, the doctor appointments, the chemo treatments….although we all know he had give up some of those, because so many people wanted to accompany her there for those long hours of nothing…….just to be near her. Her first choice for nursing was him. There love for each other was unmistakable……I remember the other day in the hospital when he told her he was going home to kiss the dogs and she put her hand to her lips and turned her head to say to him “kiss me first, honey…” And as we all know, she did not use the word honey often……Scott was her truest love on the entire planet.
And to The teams of other supports that she had in place…..the fundraising efforts and web designing…..Stanley wanted her website to be a resource for others with stage 4 cancer patients……she saw how few resources there were and was adamant about getting valuable information into the hands of other patients and families.
Her recent trips to Disney in 2005 and to Mexico for their wedding were filled with joy and peace. And photos, photos, photos…… She was a true documentarian.
We all have incredible memories of her. Some of us from her childhood, some from school, some from her work…….What we all have in common is that no matter how long we knew her, or how we met her, she invariably touched every single person in a truly unique way. It is an amazing legacy to leave the world with that kind of impact. As short as her life was, her mission was to make it as full as possible every day.
I am honored to have had this opportunity to speak with you about our dear friend.
Had there been a program for today, Ardis summed it up so perfectly the other day when she said……
Melissa learned to walk at nine months, she sped at 16 and she flew at 20…
Now, she soars…………………..
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