Thursday, December 8, 2011

In memory of Melody Matte


Melody Matte was a young, beautiful and vibrant woman who was taken, far too quickly and with little warning, from her friends and family after a brave fight against an aggressive lung cancer. 

When someone like Melody dies, the living are left with all sorts of questions and struggle to make sense of such a great loss. It forces you to stop and reflect and make decisions that are going to make a difference.

That’s why Melody’s family and friends established a Tribute Fund, The Melody Matte Memorial Fund, with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. The Fund honours Melody’s memory and the gifts made to the fund will go to support families facing cancer in the Ottawa area ­­-- a fitting tribute to Melody and what she stood for.
Throughout her life, Melody was an example to others of how we might live. She was as exquisite a person inside as out. In her illness, Melody’s friends returned the support she had offered so freely to them throughout her life, and she passed away knowing she was adored and appreciated by those whose lives she brightened. Her tribute fund is an ideal way to remember Melody for who she was and to ensure her legacy lives on and helps others.

Tribute funds are a powerful means to honour someone going through treatment or to remember someone who has lost their battle with cancer. Families can establish a fund and direct donations to an area that is important to the family, whether that is Cancer Survivorship Care programs, research or diagnostic equipment. Donations are dispersed immediately to ensure programs that need support receive the required funding.

To support The Melody Matte Memorial Fund please visit the web page at http://ottawacancer.akaraisin.com/melody

To learn more about creating your own Tribute fund, please contact Rachael Wilson, Director, Annual and Legacy Giving (rwilson@ottawacancer.ca).