As a cancer patient, do you ever feel like nobody understands what you are going through?
While undergoing treatment for breast cancer in 2015, I found myself lying in bed bald and wondering if I would ever be me again? I felt isolated, depressed and alone. It was hard to share my fears and struggles with family and friends who certainly tried but could not possibly understand all I was going through.
I was a mother of 3 young kids, with a devoted husband and a tribe of supporters. Like many women on this journey, I was trying to balance grueling chemotherapy treatments, my job as a nurse, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I put on a brave face and reassured everyone saying ‘I’m ok! I’ve got this! I’m a fighter!’, even though I was suffering.
It was during those moments that little acts of kindness such as a homemade meal for my family or a call from a friend was the glimmer of hope that carried me through, the light in my darkness.
Inspired by that light, I vowed to find a way to pay it forward and B the Light was created.

Amber Melby | Survivor & Founder, B the Light


OUR MISSION
The name for B the Light was inspired by Amber’s Aunt B, Brenda Plinke.
Aunt B battled metastatic breast cancer for 18 years before she passed away in 2018 at the age of 58. She lived by the motto “Never Give Up Hope” and inspired all who knew her.
B the Light seeks to honor Aunt B’s legacy by coordinating ways for survivors to connect with others and with resources of support.
Amber & Aunt "B"