‘Heartbroken’: A Conway firefighter finds support through community as daughter fights cancer

A Conway family of six was shaken when they found out their youngest daughter had cancer earlier this year.

Pasliegh Melvin, 6, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in May of this year. A few months later, she found it spread into her lungs.

Despite her age, her father Matt Melvin said she knew the road to recovery would be tough because she saw her grandmother go through cancer. She had to miss school and time away from friends, and her fight against cancer is still ongoing.

Her cat and the outdoors have been her comfort as she tried to make medical appointments while still attending school.

“When we told her she had cancer, she was heartbroken. She understood this is not going to be an easy road,” her father Matt Melvin said. “Her cat is her comfort blanket.”

She fought thyroid cancer and won, but then she found out the cancer had spread to her lungs. Now, her family is looking for help.

Matt Melvin has been a Conway firefighter for 7 years. He and his wife have been making multiple trips to Charleston each week, and the costs are racking up.

“Right now there is a lot of unknown medical expenses of what will be covered or won’t be covered,” Matt Melvin. “My wife hasn’t been able to work through all of it, which puts a damper on a family of 6.”

He said the first round of fighting cancer was costly for the family, and learning that it has spread is making it even harder. His wife decided to leave work to help manage all the appointments while still taking care of 4 other daughters.

The eldest daughter, age 14, is closest to Pasliegh and is also helping make sure her younger sister is supported through the process.

Matt Melvin said a neighborhood friend helped them created a fundraiser to help cover some of the costs. The fundraisers hopes to bring in $10,000 within 30 days, with over $1,000 being raised already.

The family is trying to stay strong for Paisleigh. Matt Melvin said national care groups have reached out to them and his wife joined a support group of mothers going through similar situations. He added his fellow Conway firefighters have been supporting his family as much as they could.

“We are holding up honestly better than I thought we would. I don’t think the actuality has hit us yet because we deal with it on a day-to-day basis,” Matt Melvin said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We can feel sorry for Paisleigh because it isn’t fair, but we have to deal with it.”