BRICK – Sixteen years ago, Melani Vincelli walked into a doctor’s office wondering if she had an ulcer. Today, she’s approaching her 65th birthday as a cancer survivor -with a mission to give others hope – especially those battling the same disease that nearly claimed her life.
At 49, Melani was working in sales juggling a hectic lifestyle and constant stress. She began noticing symptoms: feeling full quickly, eating less, and rapid weight loss – 30 pounds in no time.
“I was kind of happy about that,” she joked. “I even told my doctor I’d thought about waiting until I lost 50 pounds before coming in.”
But her symptoms couldn’t be brushed aside for long. Melani’s primary care physician ordered a blood test, which revealed she was anemic. While anemia is relatively common in women, it can also signal more serious issues. Her doctor sent her for an endoscopy.
That’s when Melani noticed something was off. After her procedure, she watched as her gastroenterologist met with every other patient – except her. The silence was deafening.
“Finally, he comes to the foot of my bed and said, ‘We found a mass,’” she recalled. “And I’m thinking, that’s a weird way to tell me I have an ulcer. Then it hit me. Cancer. And he said, ‘Yeah. And it’s fairly large.’”
Not only was it stomach cancer, it had spread to her liver and possibly her lungs. The diagnosis: stage 4, with a five-year survival rate of just four percent.
Melani was stunned but determined. She sought multiple opinions and ended up at a prominent New York hospital, where she was told she had six to nine months to live. No clinical trials were available. A nurse silently handed her a tissue, shaking her head. But Melani wasn’t ready to give up.
“Oh no, sweetheart,” she thought. “Don’t count me out.”
She eventually found her way to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rutgers. A sign above the doorway read: “Everybody’s curable.”
Melani turned to her husband and said, “I’m home.”
At Robert Wood Johnson, she met a surgical oncologist who believed in her chances. “He told me, ‘If I ask you to go into a clinical study, don’t worry. The clinical trials of the early 2000s are the treatments of today.’”
Her tumor was at the gastroesophageal junction – where the stomach meets the esophagus – and had overtaken her liver’s left lobe. Doctors believed it had spread to her lungs, though no biopsy was done. After six rounds of grueling chemotherapy, the cancer disappeared.
“There was no immunotherapy back then. No targeted treatments. Just chemo so toxic they don’t even use it anymore,” Melani said. “I could’ve died from the treatment itself.”
But she survived.
“When I went back to see my surgeon, I looked at him and said, ‘You didn’t expect to see me again, did you?’ He said, ‘No, I didn’t. But I’m glad you’re here. Now I want to remove your stomach.’”
A total gastrectomy was rarely done in the United States at the time. “I’ve had doctors ask if I went to Japan. That’s how uncommon it was.”
Surviving cancer is a blessing, but one that comes with emotional weight.
“I know this is going to sound awful, but you have to understand – I struggle with survivor’s guilt,” she said. “I validate my existence by doing good. Everyone else around me was dying of my disease. I have to make it right. And the way I make it right is by helping others.”
Today, Melani advocates for stomach cancer awareness, and also pushes for genetic testing, funding, and clinical trial access.
The Road To Advocacy
In 2012, Melani met Debbie Zelman, founder of Debbie’s Dream Foundation (DDF): Curing Stomach Cancer, during a Dr. Oz segment about the rising rates of stomach cancer in younger women.
“There was nowhere to go, no one to talk to,” Melani shared. “When people hear the word ‘cancer,’ they think breast cancer. But when you say stomach, and tell them you don’t even have a stomach, they look at you like you have three heads. Debbie gave me a voice.”
Since then, Melani has mentored dozens of patients, especially those with stage 4 cancer, helping them understand their options and seek second opinions. She stays current on clinical trials and works closely with DDF.
Stomach cancer has gained rare cancer status, joining cancers of the liver and kidney, as well as glioblastoma. Over $46 million in federal research funding has been secured, and 62 research awards have been issued. The National Cancer Institute also created a committee focused on early detection – largely due to DDF’s efforts.
Melani has also worked with Congressman Chris Smith (R-4th), who she refers to as a staunch supporter of stomach cancer research. This year, DDF honored Smith with the 2025 Congressional Steward of the Dream to Cure Stomach Cancer Award.
“Despite an uncertain climate for medical research funding, we remain steadfast,” said Andrea Eidelman, CEO of DDF. “Congressman Smith has played a pivotal role in pushing for research that brings us closer to earlier detection, better treatments, and, ultimately, a cure.”
Melani saw tears in Smith’s eyes when he was honored. “His father died of stomach cancer. He was his caretaker.”
Smith said he has long fought for research funding across diseases but recognized that rare cancers needed more support. “There is hope,” he said. “We’re working to ensure NIH funding continues.”
Melani and DDF are also urging the Department of Defense to fund research, pointing to a link between stomach cancer and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) – a bacterial infection found in many veterans.
“Some veterans return with an H. pylori infection and don’t even know it,” Melani said. “It’s a simple breath test. Two weeks of antibiotics can stop the disease. But I have two veterans right now, dying from stomach cancer, who were never tested.”
Today, Melani’s health is what she calls “fantastic – compared to the alternative.” She lives without a stomach, faces hypoglycemic shock episodes, and fights against a fragile immune system. But she’s alive.
“I don’t want to be a unicorn anymore,” Melani said. “I want stomach cancer to be survivable – maybe not always curable, but treatable. Like breast cancer. That’s my dream.”
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