Things are changing too fast.
Doctors are trying to stabilize Meli in order to transfer her to a hospital specialized in lung transplants. She have just one option and is the transplant.
That means for the entire family to move for ever to a new place. She needs to stay close to that hospital before and after the surgery.

If you want to help them please click the donate button.

 

 

Thanks to all

We thanks to everybody in "The Children's Hospital of SW Florida" and "St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa" . Doctors, Nurses, Therapists, Secretaries, Food Services.

The Infusion Staff in "All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg" and the people in the Rehab center in "St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa" , Therapists, Serial Casting Team , And the Critical Care Clinic. And all the friends who still pray every day for her.

What a girl- October 20, 2008

She will be the first kid with ED to try Sub Cutaneous IGG.

New Doctor and Hospital- October 2, 2008

Melanie had the first appointment with Dr. Orange in the Inmunologist Department in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she start with IVIG.

Happy Birthday- August 8, 2008

Melanie turned 7! And we finally were able to celebrate at home. On the end of the month we moved to Easton , Pennsylvania.

Rehabilitation Center- July 9, 2008

She started one week later in the rehab center and serial casting in St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. A month later Mely started to walk a few steps. She is not strong enough to walk everywhere but is having a little independence.

After 110 days in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and 7 days in Pediatrics she left the hospital.- July 16, 2008

Her condition at that point was:

  • Generalized weakness.
  • Hyperreflexia and clonus.
  • Developmental delay- regression.
  • Status post respiratory failure.
  • Heel cord contractures.
  • History of multiple pneumothoraces.
  • Severe asthma.
  • Decontinioning.
  • Right Upper Lobe emphysema.
  • Inmune Deficiency with IGG deficiency.
  • Tracheitis.
  • Narcotic and Benzodiazepine dependency.
  • History of gastrostomy tube placement.
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylcococcus aureus - colonization.
  • Ectodermal Dysplasia.
  • Gait disorder.

Not good news-

State of Florida has not facilities to make lung transplant for kids younger than 12 years old. And doctors agree the best team to work with Melanie is a transplant team. That means we need to move out of Florida as soon as possible..

Admited on St. Joseph Children's Hospital of Tampa- July 2, 2008

Since the time of her admission, she has been extubated and her chest tubes were discontinued. Cardiothoracic Surgery Consultation confirmed doctors in Fort Myers prognosis; Her lung may has a pneumothorax again in any moment and she will need to has a lobectomy and be in the Lung Transplant list..

Tomorrow Melanie could be transfered to Tampa- July 1, 2008

The doctors at the hospital will practice a Lobectomy and most likely a tracheotomy, hopping that can help Melanie to survive until she can go into the transplant list.

 

More Sicko history, unfortunatelly this time involves to Meli- June 20, 2008

Meli went to the operating room for a biopsy, after 2 long hours Elisa (Melanie's Mom) received the news that doctors took by mistake tissues from the only small area of her lungs that is still working.

After a constant conflict between doctors and Meli's parents finished on Melanie being transfered back to Fort Myers hospital.

 

Melanie was transfered to Miami Hospital and SICKO II begins- June 18, 2008

Melanie was transfered late at night because of weather issues, but she has to be in Miami by Thursday morning because a Surgery was scheduled.

Unfortunatelly everybody knew that but the doctors at the Miami Hospital.

Nobody has any idea of what was going on, there was no surgery waiting for our Angel and with that she keep loosing the only chances she have to live.

 

Melanie being transfered to Miami- June 14, 2008

This comming tuesday (june 17) Melanie will be transfered to a hospital in Miami, where she will receive a surgery to have the upper lobe of her right lung removed.

If this doesn't help, the next step must be a lung transplant.

 

Melanie on the News-Press - June 13, 2008

Elisa "Meli's mom" was interviewed by the news-press, please read the entire note clicking here.

Thanks one more time News-Press.

 

Rejected in Chapel Hill, NC- May 29, 2008

The Hospital at Chapell Hill, North Carolina rejected a second chance for Melanie for a transplant surgery.

For another unkown reason, the hospital rejected to take the case, which means Meli is not going to have a chance there either.

 

Melanie on the TV - May 26, 2008

We need more and more of this, please help us to let the entire country knows, there is a 6 year old girl trying to have a chance.

Read and see the TV note clicking here. (Thanks a lot WINK News for help this little princess)

 

Rejected in St. Louis- May 22, 2008

The childrens hospital at St. Louis, MO rejected Melanie for a transplant surgery.

For an unkown reason, the hospital rejected to take the case, which means Meli is not going to have a chance there.

 

Melanie's case on a News Paper - May 20, 2008

Her uncle appears on a local newspaper because of an interview while donating blood.
We hope this kind of things help to have more people knowing about Meli and her fight for a chance to live.
See the note clicking here. (Thanks a lot News Press for help Meli)

 

Now more than ever we need your prayers - May 14, 2008

Melanie is not doing well, unfortunately things are not fine and time is running to fast.
Our sweet is getting tired of fight against this, her little body is not coming out of this crisis and the fact of being helped to breath for long time make things even worst.

Mom and Dad (Elisa and Jorge) are being tested every second and we need your prays to help them on this extremely difficult moment.

Melanie and the entire Canete Family, we all who really loves you, want to let you know that we are with you for anything you need and we also want to let you know that we are extremely proud of your strength.
 
A little introduction about Meli
Melanie Sol Canete has big round eyes and a smile that lights up whenever she’s paid the least bit of attention.
When she was born, however, Melanie Sol’s future was in doubt as she fought a battle to live.


Melanie Sol’s story begins on her birthday – August 8, 2001. Her mother, Elisa, had an uneventful pregnancy, and the baby was born on schedule in a Naples, FL hospital.
The infant seemed healthy. That changed two hours later.
A bacterial infection had attacked Melanie Sol’s lungs, leaving them collapsed and unable to draw in enough oxygen. The doctors could do nothing to help her. Her only chance for survival was to receive ECMO therapy at Tampa General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Similar to a heart-lung machine, ECMO, or extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation works by drawing a baby’s blood into an artificial lung machine, where it is cleansed of waste products and enriched with oxygen. This allows the child’s ailing lungs to rest and heal.
TGH is one of just five hospitals in Florida – and the only facility on Florida’s west coast – that provides this lifesaving therapy.
Melanie received ECMO treatment for 12 days before she was removed from the machine. Still very sick, however, she spent most of the next three months in Tampa General’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she was monitored and treated for severe lung problems.
Melanie Sol was well enough to go home to Naples in November. Unfortunately that was just the beginning of a long fight trying to survive, almost 7 years later Meli is still fighting hard and have been more than 10 times on Neonatal ICU.

Please read About Me to learn more.