Goodbye Mel: “The world has become a little bit darker”

Today there is great sadness within the Australian radio community, particularly among those who were lucky enough to call Mel Dee Dzelde a colleague.

Yesterday morning, Mel passed away peacefully in her sleep after a long battle with cancer.

Mel is being remembered by family, friends and workmates for her joyous presence – a beacon of happiness and hope who remained eternally upbeat, despite the devastating cards she was dealt.

In sharing news of her passing on social media, Mel’s husband Chris said the world had become a little bit darker.

“Her joy and incredibly gracious spirit will, however, live on in all who were touched by her particularly powerful, wonderful magic.”

“I remain in constant awe of the happiness you beamed over EVERYONE!”

In September last year, Mel opened up about her journey to Oprah Daily.

She said that while she was terminally ill, she’d never been happier.

“Don’t get me wrong, at age 51, I’m far too young to be dying. But I’ve come to realise that thinking that way steals my joy.”

Throughout her cancer treatment, Mel continued to live life at a frenetic pace. “I didn’t have an ‘off’ switch when it came to work.”

In hospital, she assured nurses she would rest, but instead hid under the covers with her laptop

When – on top of cancer – Mel was also diagnosed with MND, she talked of finding acceptance:

“I had to hand my life over to the universe, to a power greater than me. With the realisation that I couldn’t fix it, I stopped trying.”

“Working in radio had taught me to tune into the right frequency. I needed to raise my vibration to the frequency of JOY. So in each and every moment I tune myself to that frequency and if I go ‘off station’ I simply turn the dial back to where the healing is, to joy.

Last month, a host of celebrities joined the Adelaide community in rallying around Mel.

Unable to get home for Christmas, Mix 102.3 brought the festive spirit to Mel at the Mary Potter Hospice.

Mel was a firm believer that happiness – that beautiful, smile-on-your-dial kind of happiness – is a choice we make every single second of every day.

“It lights your entire being and shines like a beacon for others.”

“With no time to waste, I watch my thoughts and live for each precious moment.”

Perhaps there’s a lesson in that for us all.