Post by sukhavati on Oct 21, 2021 4:08:36 GMT
Dear Moderators - please move to a more appropriate place if necessary.
Some of you may know Melle Stewart, whose most recent stage credits have included Lilli Vannessi (Kiss Me Kate), Honoria Glossop (By Jeeves), Emma Goldman (Assassins), who has also appeared in small experimental productions around London. She also played Gertie in the 2017 Oklahoma/ Proms at the Albert Hall. Melle is married to 2017/18 Phantom Ben Lewis.
Back in May, Melle received her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Unfortunately, she became a statistic and had an extremely adverse reaction. She was in St George's London for three months, and is now in a specialized physical rehabilitation facility. She is paralyzed on her right side, and had to have part of her skull removed to relieve the pressure on the brain.
Although Ben was born in London, he was raised in Australia, which is also Melle's country of origin. They've lived in London since 2012 and had been working pretty steadily until the pandemic shutdowns. Now, travel to and from Oz is out of the question. Ben and Melle's families can't leave Oz to help, and Ben is her primary caregiver now and for the foreseeable future. Because of Melle's needs, he's not going to be able to perform onstage again for quite awhile.
Ben's brother Alexander (another Phantom veteran, from the World Tour with Anthony Warlow, Anna Marina, and Anna O'Byrne) and Melle's sister Danae have set up a GoFundMe page to help take some of the financial burden off of Ben and Melle. Please click on the link and read the full story so you can understand the ordeal it's been. Ben and Melle are my absolute favourite Londoners, and the family has permitted me to spread the word where I can among theatre goers and colleagues. Please help if you can. Even if it's only the equivalent of a coffee or tea, every little bit helps. Thanks in advance for any contribution you can make...