When Melissa was old enough, she joined the Marines to mature and become more responsible. She knew she would need a lot of trust as well as a history of responsibility for the judge to grant her custody of her siblings. After all, she was too small.
After spending a few years in the Marines, Melissa applied for legal guardianship of her two younger brothers when she was just 21 years old. While other people her age were partying, going to college and leading fairly carefree lives, Melissa was focused on reuniting her estranged family.
The biggest obstacle for her was not actually her age or her ability to prove that she was emotionally fit to become the legal guardian of her two brothers. As a young woman in the military, Melissa struggled financially. This is where Prank It FWD came into the picture.
The YouTube video series surprised her with several much-needed gifts, including a month’s rent, a prepaid gas card, extra food, a second cell phone and even a new car.
In 2014, Kim Evey started fundraiser GoFundMe to help Melissa with the extra costs of raising two sons, and in 2016, Melissa posted a fundraising update.
“Boys grow up, it’s ridiculous,” she wrote. “I can barely keep up with what suits me and what doesn’t because they grow up like weeds. They love video games, sports and skateboarding, but what they really need are clothes.”