Spring 2025

“We became friends,” Lee shares. “I didn’t know how sick she had been when I first met her because she was so full of life.” Diagnosed as a teenager with cystic fibrosis (CF), along with brother Nick, Melissa spent much of her life in and out of hospitals, while still graduating in four years from USC, like her brother. “Usually, CF is diagnosed in childhood,” Melissa’s father Chris explains. “Cystic fibrosis affects all the organs in the body, but the main areas are the pancreas and the lungs.When CF reared its ugly head, doctors could barely keep Melissa and Nick healthy and out of the hospital, but one thing we could do was try to raise some money.We started a nonprofit,The Living Breath Foundation, to help individuals and families with scholarships, buying medications and expensive medical equipment needed…it’s very hard to shut down cystic fibrosis once it starts rolling.” Paying for bereavements was another form of support the Pappageorgas family offered through the foundation. “We want to help in just about every way we can,” Chris says. “It’s heartbreaking watching your loved one slowly suffocate over the years.” A newer medication, TRIKAFTA, has helped Nick tremendously, however Melissa’s lungs were too damaged to benefit from it by the time it came to market. As seen in the film, surfing with groups like the Mauli Ola Foundation, meaning, “Breath of Life,” became a pivotal turning point in Melissa’s life. The foundation was created after research showed that hypertonic saline, which occurs in the air above the surface of the ocean, is a nat- ural treatment for those suffering from cystic fibrosis, helping them expel the thick mucus that is trapped in their lungs. Professional surfers travel to different areas of the country for Surf Experience Days and help those with CF get in Photo: Kelli Uldall Melissa on her wedding day to Joey Rodrigues. The couple shared a love of the ocean and surfed on a custom tandem longboard, with Joey carrying her oxygen tank when needed. Photo: Courtesy of the Pappageorgas Family Melissa, Chris, Lori and Nick Pappageorgas at a fundraiser for The Living Breath Founda- tion, which they started after Melissa and Nick were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. 138 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 5