Marchiano, Melinda
Melinda Marchiano
Melinda Marchiano lives in the rolling, oak-studded hills of the Central Coast of California. Homeschooled up until high school, Melinda had the freedom to write and to create from a young age. Melinda dances six days a week and performs with the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo and San Luis Jazz. As a childhood cancer survivor, Melinda gives thanks for her life by speaking and fundraising for organizations such as the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, the Children's Miracle Network, and American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
Childhood cancer survivor Melinda Marchiano eloquently and humorously describes her journey through illness and recovery. Her story starts as she begins to feel ill, and we follow each step of her physical downfall as she struggles to continue to dance ballet, her greatest passion. At 14 years old, Melinda shares not only the events of her illness, but her thoughts, deep feelings and growing spirituality through operations, chemotherapy, radiation, drug reactions, an eating disorder and more. Your heart will be filled with the same grace Melinda cherished through her illness and your life will never be the same.
“In her book, Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery, Melinda Marchiano offers an honest and inspiring portrayal of her cancer experience through the eyes of a teenager and proves there is medicinal value in love and laughter. Melinda and I share a common bond. We are survivors. And we believe in the importance of empowering fellow survivors to live life on their own terms. By sharing her story, Melinda is giving a voice to this global epidemic that needs immediate attention. I am grateful to Melinda for having the courage to speak up and for her generosity in helping others fighting cancer.” – Lance Armstrong