Meet Melissa

"It was a shock," says Melissa. "The fear set in the, you know, worrying about my children, about my life. It was just a whirlwind of feelings." That's how Melissa felt after she first received her stage 3 rectal cancer diagnosis as a 45-year-old single mom of two adult children. She soon discovered that she didn't have to do it alone, and that made all the difference. Not only did she have amazing support from her parents, children and friends, but she found support groups at Moffitt that gave her a sense a community and her medical team quickly felt like a second family to her.

"When you go to the doctors have faith in them and that they're going to do the best thing for you and have your best interests at heart. And that's exactly what every doctor here at Moffitt has done."