Community Hero 2007
Destinee Melick
At age 11, Destinee, or “Des” for short, is a precocious young girl with an enormous amount of friends. She loves all types of music. Her favorite school subjects are math, science, and art. Horse enthusiast, avid camper, basketball fan – these descriptive terms represent only a few of Destinee’s many interests.
Destinee suffers from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and sustained brain trauma, which have impaired her ability to walk. Brain surgery, lung surgery, physical therapy, and chemotherapy are among the exhaustive list of procedures she’s had to face.
True to her brave nature, Destinee takes these challenges head-on. “Destinee has always been strong,” say her parents, Stacie and Jason. “Even when she has a hard day, she fights to get through it. She’s an example of what you can really do if you don’t give up. The courage she has had to accept her illness just amazes us. When we are down, she pulls us up. She has shown us how strong our family is.” Today Destinee is in remission and remains resolute in her fight to beat the disease.
