A Virginia father and his two young sons have come up with a way to honor their mother, who recently died of an aggressive form of cancer.
Melissa Dabas was diagnosed with breast cancer in April, 2016. In February, it appeared that she had beaten the illness.
To celebrate her victory, Melissa purchased 26 tickets to Lady Gaga's D.C. concert to give to family, friends, nurses and doctors who helped her throughout the journey.
But unfortunately, the cancer returned.
Melissa lost her 17-month battle on Sept. 2. She was 42.
Her husband, Jay Dabas, said he wanted to find a way to honor her memory.
"I started to see the world a little bit though her eyes, and how she would see people and how she would reach out to people,” he said.
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Jay decided to donate some of the box tickets to the Winchester Medical Center, where he is an anesthesiologist. They are raffling them off to establish the Melissa Anne Dabas Trust, which will help cancer patients with non-medical expenses.
“The kids and I thought this would be a great way to honor her and keep her memory alive to create a fund that could help people in the future," he said.
Jay said he is taking their two sons to the Lady Gaga concert at the Capitol One Arena on Nov. 19. Though Melissa may not physically be in attendance, Jay said she will be with them in spirit.
Raffle tickets can be purchased here, or by calling 540-536-4736. The lottery will close on Nov. 12, and winners will be drawn on Nov. 14.
Five winners will be selected to win two box seats, valued at $1,500. Raffle tickets cost $100 each.
