Stephanie Anne Melton, a former UCLA pre-medicine student and dedicated member of Stroke Force, died Nov. 8 in Louisville, Colo. after a long battle with Ewing’s sarcoma. She was 21.
Melton began her first year at UCLA in 2007 and quickly found her niche when she joined Stroke Force.
The program trains members to give community presentations on the symptoms of strokes and also to identify possible stroke victims in the emergency room of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Although the selection process is competitive, Melton stood out from other applicants because of her passionate attitude.
“She truly cared and was happy to be there,” said Jennifer Yoohanna, a UCLA alumna and former internal affairs coordinator for Stroke Force. “She was a very positive influence on the team, and her Stroke Force family really benefited from her leadership.”
Aside from her involvement with Stroke Force, Melton was a dedicated student who ended her first year with a GPA of 3.97. She also had an active lifestyle and frequently exercised and maintained a healthy diet.
Although Melton was busy, she always made time for her friends and would meet up with them for dinner, either in the dining halls or out in Westwood, said Sarah van Cleve, a fourth-year economics student and Melton’s best friend during their first year.
“She absolutely loved UCLA ““ she was so excited to be here,” van Cleve said, adding that they would attend parties and football games together and went to the Los Angeles Coliseum to see the USC–UCLA football game in 2007.
While the two friends were involved in different activities, they frequently spent time together and could bond over their similarities, such as their shared out-of-state residencies.
Melton and van Cleve decided to be roommates during their second year and had planned to live with two other friends in Hitch Suites.
But during the summer of 2008, Melton was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. The news was very sudden, as Melton had simply gone to the doctor to remove an ovarian cyst. Melton then had to withdraw from the university to begin intensive chemotherapy near her home in Colorado.
While the complications from the treatment would sometimes make her sick, Melton always maintained a positive attitude and a cheerful demeanor.
According to an e-mailed statement from her father, throughout the entire time she battled cancer, she never once complained about her situation. Even near the end of her time, she always told people who inquired about how she was doing that she was fine. Her father stated that she was his hero.
Even though she was not physically at UCLA, Stephanie Melton continued to stay in touch with her friends.
“I still remember when we moved into our suite in Hitch, Stephanie had fresh flowers delivered to us,” said Jennifer Lee, a fourth-year Chinese student who was one of Melton’s closest friends. “She was really a very caring and thoughtful person.”
But this selfless attitude was not limited to her friends, as Melton organized a toy drive for children being treated for cancer at her hospital last December.
Melton went into remission for six months, before the cancer spread to her brain.
“Every quarter, she thought she’d be better,” van Cleve said. “That was her No. 1 priority ““ to come back to UCLA when she was better.”
Melton was born on Oct. 12, 1989 in Boulder, Colo. In high school, she juggled numerous extracurricular activities, including cheer squad and Model United Nations, while doing well academically.
Melton is survived by her parents, Don and Pat Melton; sister Melissa; and brother Steve.