Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
Brenda Mellen
After her cancer diagnosis, Brenda Mellen and her husband, Matt, became the leaders of a project to create a park in their neighborhood.
Becoming involved in the creation of her subdivision’s park was Brenda Mellen’s “saving grace” during her battle with breast cancer.
“It kept me upbeat. It kept me happy,” she said.
After Mellen’s mammogram came back clear in the fall of 2010, four months later, she found a lump in her left breast. At age 51, the Chelsea resident had no doubt what it was.
“One night I was lying in bed and felt it,” Mellen said. “I knew what it was right away. I called the doctor and got an appointment, and sure enough, that’s what it was.”
Mellen, who owns Chelsea Party Center, was diagnosed with early onset breast cancer in February 2011. It was aggressive and needed to be taken care of immediately. She began chemo shortly thereafter and had weekly treatments for six months. She completed her treatment in November and had surgery in January 2012.
Mellen said she was lucky — she was never sick and didn’t burn from the radiation treatments, which she had daily for three months. Eighteen months later, in the summer of 2013, she had reconstructive surgery.
As she went through treatment, Mellen also found herself at home more frequently. At the time, she traveled a lot and knew few of her neighbors in Yellowleaf Ridge Estates, though she was part of the homeowner’s association. There was a large, undeveloped lot in the neighborhood, and the idea to turn it into a park took root in her mind. Rather than stew over her illness, Mellen now had research and planning to do.
“When I got sick, it forced me to stop,” she said. “[The park] was probably the best thing to happen because it occupied my time.”
Mellen, her husband, Matt, and a few other neighbors began creating Dogwood Creek Park in May 2013, shortly before her reconstructive surgery. The lot now has picnic tables and benches, a playground, a short hiking loop and small camping spot. Dogwood Creek intersects the property, and Mellen has planted a variety of flowers and trees, including dogwoods, around the area.
It’s a place that Mellen knows like the back of her hand. As she walks the trail, she points out landmark trees and bends in the creek, each with names. Many spots have a story behind them, like the large boulder a neighbor uncovered while clearing out brush or the rutted trail that Mellen is convinced is the remnant of a logging wagon trail.
Creating the park was not without its challenges. The lot is located in a flood plain, so heavy rains will submerge the area and sometimes pick up the park benches or weaken plant roots. When summer heat limits Mellen’s ability to work, native plants quickly spring up again. Since Mellen said she and Matt love the outdoors but only “tinker” in gardening, they have gotten help from professional arborists and tree companies in clearing and replanting the area.
“I said, ‘Why don’t we do it now? How hard can it be?” Mellen remembered. “It turns out, keeping up with Mother Nature is hard.”
The neighborhood is limited in what they can do without a permit. There are also more ideas to improve Dogwood Creek Park than funds to make it happen.
“The most challenging thing we have is that everybody has such great ideas,” Mellen said.
While there’s a team of around eight people who take the lead on planning and constructing the park, she said it has become a popular spot for nearby families to enjoy and for neighborhood events. In keeping her mind off her diagnosis, Mellen uncovered a hidden gem for Yellowleaf Ridge.
“I think the neighborhood was surprised this was even down here,” Mellen said.
Beyond her park, facing cancer also made Mellen decide she wanted to do something fun on the job.
“I thought, if this is the only time I have left, I don’t want to spend it sad. That’s when I decided to start a business. We could do parties and have fun,” she said.
Mellen, a business consultant by trade, had been collecting party items for about 30 years and always wanted to have a party rental company. She said when she got sick, she had a lot of time to think about what she wanted to do with her life.
“During the time I had to wait for the reconstructive surgery, and even after I had it, I was ready to go back out and find a job. That’s when this came about. I entertain and do a lot of fundraisers, so I thought I could work out of my house with what I had,” she said. “This was a true shoestring startup.”
That’s how Chelsea Party Center began. Mellen began doing parties for friends, and word of mouth spread quickly. Her website and Facebook page also drew prospective customers. Mellen continues to do her consulting work and uses that money to feed into her business to bring in items that customers request. Available items are listed on her website, and she also takes appointments for people to see her products in person. But most often, she goes to them.
Mellen has been doing small home weddings; recently her largest was for 120 people. She also assists in coordinating caterers and other vendors needed for events.
“I’ve had someone call to say, ‘I want a party on this day, for this many people. Make it happen,’” Mellen said.
In addition to rental items, such as tables, chairs, plates, flatware and serving items, she has recently added a 10x20 tent and two bouncy houses. Chelsea Party Center specializes in business events, snack bars, birthday parties, weddings and more.
Mellen has been in remission for three-and-a-half years and is enjoying her life and new business. She has annual checkups and knows her life could change in a moment, so she is making the most of it.
“I think my life is better now. I’ve always had a good life and always had fun,” Mellen said. “After this happened, it ended up making everything even better, because I was able to stop running across the country working constantly. Now I know everybody in my neighborhood. I’m able to make others’ parties better with the stuff I bring. That’s fun. It’s not work. It ended up working out for me. I beat cancer.”
