Crohn's Disease Hinders 911 Dispatcher

I would like to take a moment to introduce a Night Shift Supervisor that has selflessly given so much over the years, and is now fighting a life threating condition. Melissa “Boggs” Barker is an 8 year veteran dispatcher/supervisor with the Hamilton County Public Safety Communication Center located in Noblesville, IN. 

Melissa was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during childhood, and now at the age of 28 her condition has become life threatening.  Melissa’s mother owns a wrecker company that has provided services for the citizens of Hamilton County and surrounding counties as well as the communications center for several years. The towing services are often times provided free of charge due to the individuals lack of funds during hard times.    

Melissa required surgery back in October 2013 to repair damage caused by her Crohn’s Disease, but after the surgery her condition worsened.  Over the course of the next 10.5 months, Melissa visited her IU Health doctors on a regular basis with no affirmative determination for the drastic decline in her health. 

 In an attempt to obtain answers, Melissa finally made the decision to visit the Mayo Clinic located in Minnesota. After meeting with the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, Melissa learned that her condition was life threatening and she would require another complicated surgery in an attempt to repair major damage caused by the Crohn’s Disease.  

The doctors explained to Melissa that she will be hospitalized for approximately 2 weeks after surgery.  Also, over the course of the next 6 months she will need to commute back and forth from the Mayo Clinic every 2 weeks.   Melissa is currently out of sick time, and soon will be out of short-term disability. 

 In addition to her monthly household bills, Melissa and her husband will need money to pay for hotels, fuel, food, and other expenses while visiting the Mayo Clinic for appointments.  Melissa is unable to drive due to the medication she is taking; therefore her husband must accompany her on these trips.  

While he is away from work, he is only receiving a partial paycheck that will come to an end in the next few weeks.  

Melissa struggles with this disease everyday but refuses to let on that she is suffering from the pain.  She is passionate about her job and is making every effort to get back to work as soon as possible.  Her co-workers are trying to organize a dinner to benefit Melissa and collecting donations to assist with her travel expenses and bills.
 
 Melissa Barker
21563 Victory Chapel Rd
Noblesville, IN 46060

**Please when sending cards to this family, remember to mention Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 so they know where you learned about them.**