As a caregiver, Melinda’s daughter had B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. As an oncology pharmacist, she has experience with all types of cancers and cancer research.

Melinda currently lives in Saint Louis, Missouri with her husband, four daughters and their dog. She has been a pharmacist since 2001, working in all areas of healthcare including 10 years as an oncology pharmacist. Her daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2019 at the age of 8, and underwent treatment at St. Louis Childrens Hospital, Siteman Kids. That just so happened to be the same health system that Melinda worked at for years. “Being on the other side of the cancer journey was eye opening for me and made me fully understand the need for patient advocacy. My daughter completed her treatment in 2021 and is now a healthy, happy 13-year-old. My family and I are active participants in Pedal the Cause, which is a fundraising bike ride in Saint Louis where 100% of donations go straight to cancer research. Many of those donations go to childhood cancer research, which is so important to my family.”