Mother and daughter in the fight of their lives

This is the first time in 16 years that Tami Garrison hasn’t been able to daily visit her daughter, Melissa, in the hospital. That’s because while Melissa is fighting a complication from her heart transplant, Tami is fighting cancer.

Melissa, 16, was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and received the gift of a new heart in January. Earlier this month, she was taken to the emergency room for abdominal pain and was diagnosed with PTLD, or Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder. It is a serious side-effect of heart transplants caused by either the donor heart or the anti-rejection medications Melissa must take.

Melissa and the story of her heart transplant were featured in an article in The Peninsula Gateway in March.

Tami is battling a return of breast cancer that has metastasized to other parts of her body. This is the latest in a string of fights for Tami, who survived a rare form of leukemia 20 years ago. At the time, she was given two weeks to live, but fought through anyway. Then, two years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she also battled through.

The struggle to see each other every day in such a trying time is hard for mother and daughter, husband and father David Garrison said.

The health concerns are putting a strain of the Garrisons, as Tami is unable to work her two jobs: paraeducator in the Peninsula School District and a position at the Boys and Girls Club. David is working to support his daughter and wife while also balancing the time to care for them. He said older sister Jessica spends most of her time at the hospital with her sister.

“We just went through this with (Tami’s) breast cancer,” David said, “and now we’re about to get hammered again.”

Several funds to help the Garrisons have been put together by community members: There is a GoFundMe account and a bank account in Melissa Garrison’s name set up at KeyBank.

Tami Garrison’s sister, Shari Lee, set up the new online page.

The page for Tami and Melissa Garrison at GoFundMe functions as both an online fundraiser and a way to receive updates. Lee runs the page.

“My sister is such an amazing woman,” Lee wrote Sept. 16 on the page. “When I look to when we were little kids she was always so stubborn and set in her ways. If she was determined to do something ... she always forged ahead. Now I understand why she was made that way ... she was being prepared for the battles that only God knew she would face! He has prepared her well!”

“We’ve always had a very good support group around, both family and friends,” David said.

To give to the Garrison’s GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/hy4qepkg. As of Tuesday morning, the campaign had raised nearly $6,000 toward its goal of $35,000. Alternatively, the account in Melissa Garrison’s name is available at KeyBank locations.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Mother and daughter in the fight of their lives."