Mallory Capretta remembers the day in May 2020 when she was working as the performance improvement coordinator in the Mahoning Valley emergency department (ED). A friend of her 4-year-old daughter had been brought to the ED for what her mom thought was dehydration.
When Michelle Edenfield brought Melina, age 4, to the ED she had been vomiting and complaining of a headache. Mallory recognized Melina’s name on the patient board and sat with her when doctors gave Michelle the news that Melina had a brain mass.
Although their girls had been close friends in school, Michelle and Mallory didn’t really know each other well; however, that encounter helped jumpstart their own friendship.
On May 22, Melina was diagnosed with Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG), one of the deadliest forms of childhood brain cancer. Despite initial hope that radiation treatment might extend her already limited prognosis, Melina died on June 24, 2020.
Even before Melina’s death, Michelle and her husband, Keith, founded the Melina Michelle Edenfield Foundation dedicated to helping other families by raising awareness and money to help find a cure for DMG and DIPG pediatric brain tumors. They also established the Melina Michelle Edenfield Foundation Fund to provide financial support for research into pediatric brain tumors in the Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Now a nurse practitioner in the Special Care Nursery in the Mahoning Valley, Mallory is back to being a bedside nurse.
“Being a nurse practitioner was something I had thought about for years, but in 2018 I really felt ready to take that step forward. I truly love my position and caring for these babies,” she said. “Being in the NICU can be so difficult for families, so I try to help alleviate some of the stress by ensuring that we are here for both the baby and family however they may need.”
Caring for people extends off the job for Mallory as well as evidenced by her work supporting the Edenfield’s foundation.
“My family has participated in multiple fundraisers for Melina. In 2021, I ran the Akron Marathon and actively fundraised through their site to raise what I could for the foundation,” said Mallory. “I have continued for the last 3 years, raising $12,000 to date. My goal for 2024 is to get more runners involved with the race and sign-up as a fundraising runner.”
In November 2023, Michelle approached Mallory about expanding her involvement in the foundation by becoming a board member.
“Without any hesitation, I immediately accepted and was quickly put to work,” said Mallory. “We are currently working on planning for the annual gala fundraiser, which is one of the foundation’s largest fundraisers of the year.”
In addition to raising funds, the foundation actively participates in larger national and international research cohorts that are made up of other foundations with the same goal – to find a cure for pediatric brain tumors.
Mallory said the foundation is very close to reaching its $1 million fundraising goal in just under 4 years.
“Michelle’s vision was to reach $1 million within 10 years, so this is absolutely amazing,” she said. “All money raised by the foundation goes toward pediatric brain cancer research.”
“Our goal is to one day fund and bring a clinical trial to this area,” said Michelle. “Mallory goes above and beyond for us, and I’m forever grateful.”
If you are interested in supporting or learning more about the Melina Michelle Edenfield Fund at Akron Children’s Hospital, contact Jillian Chahine in the Foundation.
