At the age of five, Mary Meloy was diagnosed with having a brain tumor.On February 18, 2002, Mary underwent emergency surgery, the first of many operations Mary would endure. Two days later, Mary was back in the operating room, undergoing a ten-hour procedure to remove the tumor from her brain. Her prognosis was not good; she was not expected to survive the operation. Against all odds, Mary survived! 60% of the tumor was removed. It was cancerous. As a result of the operation, Mary's left side was paralyzed. Again, against all odds, the next day miraculously Mary moved her eyes, fingers and toes.

Within the next month, Mary had two more brain surgeries and a device surgically inserted into her chest for chemotherapy treatments. She had to learn how to walk, talk, eat, and drink all over again. Mary began her first chemotherapy treatment in March 2002. In May, she was back in the hospital for two more brain surgeries. One month later, Mary and her family received the good news. Mary’s MRI was clear...the cancer and tumor were gone! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then celebrated!

Later that year in October, Mary had to have a second device for chemo treatments put into her chest. In February 2003, much to the disbelief of family and friends, Mary’s MRI showed a second tumor. “Not again”, everyone thought. Radiation began the following week. Mary, once again, endured.

All totaled, Mary has had six brain surgeries, two surgeries to the chest, and two surgeries to the abdomen. She has endured two and a half years of chemo every three weeks for five days, and 30 radiation treatments to the brain and spine. She has had 37 blood transfusions, three platelet transfusions, four blood infections and at least 20 MRI's. Today, Mary is 9 years old and in the first grade.

Mary Meloy truly is a miracle.

At this time it is unknown what kind of side effects Mary will have from the drugs and radiation. She is small for her age and learning is difficult. She continues to have MRI's every 4 months and has regular doctor visits every two months. The radiation treatments ruined her teeth, so she also is visiting the dentist frequently.

Mary is a very happy little girl and always has a smile on her face. She is extremely tough and very, very, brave. She has a way about her that will simply steal your heart. Now that her cancer is gone, Mary is able to go to school and loves being with other children. Her favorite color is purple and she loves Dora the Explorer. When asked how she got through this, Mary will tell you "God told me to be brave."

Three years ago, Mark Allen, President of Paradigm, met Mary. She was undergoing radiation treatment at the same time Mark was paying regular visits to the hospital due to the illness of his father. He was touched by Mary’s spirit and the two became fast friends. Since that day, Mary has remained a source of hope and inspiration for Mark and his family. Her well-being is a cause near and dear to Mark’s heart.

Paradigm contributes annually to the Meloy family to help pay for Mary’s medical bills and expenses. If your company is interested in making a non tax deductible contribution to the Meloy family, please send a check to:

Susan Meloy
c/o Paradigm
PO Box 9123
Wichita KS 67277