Mel of the Mountains

07/10/2026

Today was the day! I was blessed to be surrounded by family and friends. We started with prayer and then scissors. It took me a while to calm my nerves with the clippers buzzing, but I finally did. I'm not sad. I'm not mad. This is me - for now. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we discovered my head didn't have an alien freakish shape to it! I feel like I'm ready to take on the world in a G.I. Jane kind of way. Watch out cancer, you're days are numbered.

07/06/2026

Test driving my first wig! Eyelashes are falling out faster than my hair but it's inevitable. Head getting shaved in 5 days. I've accepted it and looking forward to a new start. I'd rather shave it off on my terms instead of it coming out in clumps in the shower. One round of chemo down. Next one in 4 days. I'm a fighter and not backing down!



control

07/01/2026

One thing that’s been on my heart lately was making sure Mel had a chance to feel beautiful and feminine before chemotherapy starts taking even more from her.

As treatments continue, she’s becoming weaker, and we know her hair will likely be gone soon. Before that happens, I wanted her to have a day where she could laugh, get pampered, look in the mirror, and simply see herself—not cancer.

The makeup session itself was pure chaos 🤣😂 We had to pause several times, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and made memories we’ll never forget. We only shared the best moments in this video, but every pause and every laugh was part of a very real day.

The sweetest part? Mel told me she hasn’t worn makeup since her wedding… almost 30 years ago.

Afterward, we went live on TikTok, and so many of you commented on how beautiful she looked. Those weren’t just compliments—they were reminders that cancer doesn’t define her. She is still the same beautiful woman she’s always been, with or without makeup, with or without hair.

Sometimes the smallest things—a little mascara, a lipstick, a friend, and a whole lot of laughter—can remind someone of who they are when life is trying so hard to make them forget.

We’ll be sharing more random moments of chaos, makeup, Tourette’s, narcolepsy, cancer, and everything in between. That’s what this journey is really about—not pretending the hard moments don’t exist, but finding reasons to smile through them together.

Thank you for continuing to love on Mel and remind her every single day that she is seen, valued, and so very beautiful. 💜

Please continue to follow Mel’s journey - link in the comments 🥰🥰

06/29/2026

Something good to share - my friend Jason Gatliff was kind enough to do an article on me for Muzzleloader Magazine that just came out. He also sent me an earlier issue that was dedicated to my dear friend Barbie Chambers Phillips, of Chambers Flintlocks, who completed her battle with cancer late last year. I miss her dearly. If yall didn't know her, you really missed out!
Thank you Jason and thanks to Andrew Scott Wills for interviewing and writing the article about me. Thanks Jason for helping spread the word about my brain tanned buckskins to your readers!

06/19/2026

One of the most beautiful things about this community is watching complete strangers become family.

A huge thank you to Jamie in Montana for putting together and sending Melonie a care package to help prepare for her upcoming chemo treatments. 💜 The kindness, love, and support being shown to Mel and Ken right now is something I’ll never be able to put into words.

Every card, package, prayer, message, and donation reminds them that they are not fighting this battle alone.

If you’d like to send Melonie a card, gift, or care package, mail to PO Box 2555 Blairsville GA 30514

And if you’d like to follow Mel’s journey, receive updates, and support her fight, please visit and follow her GoFundMe page. We will continue sharing updates as she navigates this road ahead.

Thank you all for loving Mel as fiercely as we do. ❤️

05/21/2026