Melody’s GBS journey
In October 2021, Melody got sick with both Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Lyme disease. GBS is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system. At first, the doctors didn’t know what was wrong. She spent a week feeling very sick with a severe stomach bug, and kept getting weaker and weaker. After many doctors appointments, lab tests, MRIs, and 2 emergency room visits, she was finally diagnosed with GBS. By this point she had lost all mobility in her legs, had painful tingling all over body, and many other symptoms including Bells-Palsy (facial paralysis) on the left side of her face. Her breathing and swallowing also became difficult, and she was admitted into the ICU at Kaiser Walnut Creek, California where she had to be put on a ventilator the day after was diagnosed.
The situation seemed very bleak, but hundreds of people spread the word about Melody on social media after her sister Violet asked for prayers on The Sparks Sisters’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Being on a ventilator can be damaging to the vocal folds, so as a professional singer, Melody needed all the prayers she could get. Thankfully, God answered the many prayers and Melody was able to be taken off of the ventilator after only 3 and a half days, even though the doctors had originally expected her to be on it for a week.
Violet’s caption above reads: Hi everyone, Violet speaking💜 Please read and keep Melody in your thoughts and prayers🙏 Right now, Melody is in critical condition in the ICU at the hospital. She is being treated for a rare auto-immune disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome. Her symptoms progressed so fast this week - starting with a headache and stomach flu-like symptoms, to not being able to walk or talk properly. My family is so thankful for all of the support through prayer and encouragement thus far from family and close friends. It will be a long uphill battle for our whole family and she is currently in the middle of the worst of it - but THIS is what sisters do: sisters are a shoulder to lean on, the biggest encouragers, and most importantly the ones who try to hold onto all hope for the other sister when it may feel hopeless 💖 This news does not stop our mission to serve the world through creating beautiful music and showing others what sisters do best.💕
Before being moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room, Melody also tested positive for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected tick. Although Melody did not have any initial symptoms of a tick bite and the neurologists believed that all of her symptoms were from GBS, she was put on midline IV antibiotics for 3 weeks to treat the diagnosis.
She spent a total of 11 days in the Kaiser Walnut Creek hospital and was visited by speech, occupational, and physical therapists in her hospital room every day. Gradually, she was able to “graduate” through different levels of pureed food, and do simple tasks such as brush her teeth in bed or sit and stand at her bedside.
Once she was strong enough, she was able to transfer to an acute rehabilitation facility at the Kaiser hospital in Vallejo. Thankfully, this facility is world-renowned and only 15 minutes away from her family’s home. Melody worked hard in Physical and Occupational Therapy sessions each day during her two week stay, re-learning how to walk with the use of a walker and climbing whole flights of stairs by the end of her time there. Her endurance got stronger every day, and she even got the chance to play the piano. Click on the video below to watch her playing “Rustles of Spring” at the Vallejo Rehab facility.
Throughout Melody’s time in both the Walnut Creek Kaiser and the Kaiser in Vallejo, God’s healing hand was present through it all. We firmly believe that her miraculously quick recovery is because of the healing power of Jesus Christ. Her family visited her every day and made sure that she was never alone during visiting hours, and her boyfriend Michael flew up from his home in Southern California twice to visit her. Many people sent get well wishes and kept her in prayer every day. This support, combined with the amazing care team at the hospital, Melody’s positive spirit, and most importantly God's mercy were the best medicine in her road to recovery.
Melody was released from rehab on November 12th, which is also Violet’s birthday! It was a very happy day for all of us ❤️
