A mother of four was struck by the heartbreaking deaths of two of her loved ones just six weeks apart, only to learn that she herself was suffering from an incurable medical condition.
Melanie Nast Young, 45, from Bega on the New South Wales south coast, has been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that has caused her organs to stop working.
Ms Young has Alpha1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, a genetic condition that has damaged her lungs so badly that they are now working at only 25 per cent of their capacity. Her heart is also damaged and there is potential damage to her liver.
Sadly, a lung and heart transplant, which could save her life, is not possible due to a neurological movement disorder called dystonia that Mrs Young has suffered from for 10 years.
Mrs Young has been told she has only six months to live.
In March, Mrs Young lost her father to lung cancer. Her grief was compounded when her ex-partner Todd Young died shortly afterwards, leaving three of her children without their father.
“It’s the worst story… you couldn’t write a worse story,” Young’s best friend Mischelle told Daily Mail Australia.
It was a truly devastating year.
Melanie Nast Young (pictured) is a 45-year-old mother of four from Bega on the NSW south coast and suffers from a rare genetic condition that has caused her organs to stop working.
Mrs Young (pictured) is much loved in the fishing community as she runs her business Young Guns Fishing Adventures with her ex-partner Todd Young, father of three of her children.
Together with Mr Young, Mrs Young introduced thousands of people to the world of fishing, including people with disabilities and children at risk.
Ms. Young is well-liked in the fishing community. Together with her ex-partner Todd Young, a father of three, she runs her business, Young Guns Fishing Adventures.
Together with Mr Young, she introduced thousands of people to the world of fishing over the past 20 years, including people with disabilities and children from risk groups.
Mischelle told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Young suffers from dystonia, a movement disorder where the muscles contract.
“I saw her whole body twist and turn and…I saw her…even turn her leg the other way,” Mischelle said.
Although suffering from dystonia, Mrs. Young continued to work at Young Guns Fishing Adventures.
A GoFundMe The page was created by Mrs. Young’s friends to ‘give Mel some tools to help her do some special things while she still can.’
The page also reads: ‘Mel is eager to share some special moments with her children before the cruel genetic disease puts an end to them.’
Sadly, Frank Prokop, a close friend of Ms. Young who organized the GoFundMe, said Ms. Young is not well enough to check off the items on her bucket list.
He praised Mrs Young’s positive attitude.
Mrs Young’s partner Todd sadly passed away earlier this year, the couple both enjoy fishing
Todd and Melanie have three children together who could now also lose their mother
Mrs. Young’s close friend Frank Prokop praised Mrs. Young’s positive attitude: “She (says) I’m not brave, I’m just stoic. You just have to get up and do it the next day, because there’s no do-over.”
“She (says) I’m not brave, I’m just stoic. You just have to get up and do it the next day because there’s no do-over.”
“It may not be fair, but it’s just reality,” he said.
Mr Prokop said Ms Young empowers women through fishing.
“Her passion in life is to teach the next generation how to move forward and overcome obstacles, and fishing is her tool for that,” he said.
“Fishing is a very male-dominated activity, so she said, ‘Here I am.’
Mischelle said Ms. Young’s children are struggling with their mother’s illness as they continue to try to process the death of their father.
Mr Prokop said Ms Young (pictured) was empowering women through fishing. ‘Her passion in life is to teach the next generation how to get ahead and overcome obstacles. She uses fishing as her mechanism.’
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ms. Young’s children
“I just think it’s incomprehensible, they can’t deal with it,” she said.
“It’s terrible.”
The Go Fund Me page highlights what Mrs. Young’s children are going through.
‘Mel’s youngest is only 7 years old and has already been through too much for someone so young.’
Mr Prokop said the money raised through GoFundMe will be used to support Ms Young’s three children, who are left without parents, and her current partner Jason, who will be a single father to Ms Young’s seven-year-old son.
“She’s worried about what she’s leaving behind for her children,” he said.
‘I think she’s mostly busy right now putting things away for the kids, for their education and such.’
As the GoFundMe page states, “Consider giving back to someone who has given so much.
The GoFundMe for Ms. Young has raised more than $5,000 so far.
