Kent County Mother makes one final request as she fights through the final days of her life — to hear from the singer whose music helped her survive her darkest years
DOVER, Del. — September 27, 2026 — Her life is coming to an end. But before she goes, a Dover woman has one final wish – a wish her family has turned into a plea for the public’s help to try and make happen before her last breath.
Surrounded by her loving family including her son, news anchor and veteran broadcast journalist Rob Petree, 50-year-old Melissa Petree, of Dover, made a simple request this morning: she wants a call from Stevie Nicks before she dies.
Petree’s currently in the last days, if not hours, of her life. Over the course of the past two years, she has fought a terrible diagnosis of an aggressive form of lung cancer that’s now progressed to stage 4 and spread to her brain, liver, and other parts of her body. She now has a total of six tumors in her brain and three in her liver, suffering from seizures and a host of other issues that have led to the end of her life. She remains cognitively aware but time is running out.
Nicks has been her favorite singer for decades — but to her, the music was much more than entertainment.
It became part of the soundtrack of a life she fought desperately to rebuild.
She grew up in poverty in Baltimore and battled substance abuse disorder. During some of the darkest periods of her life, the music of Stevie Nicks gave her something to hold onto — inspiration to keep going, overcome addiction and build a different life for herself and her family.
Now, as she faces the end of that life, she is asking for the chance to say hello to the woman whose music helped her through it.
And her son is asking the community for help.
A video recorded as she approached the end of her life — showing her singing two of Stevie Nicks’ most recognizable songs, “Dreams” and “Seven Wonders” — has spread across Facebook and TikTok, generating tens of thousands of views and comments.
The video captures something deeply personal: a woman who, even from what may soon be her deathbed, is still singing.
Still smiling.
Still fighting.
And still listening to the music that helped carry her through some of the hardest chapters of her life.
Petree, a longtime broadcast journalist who spent the first decade of his career working on Delmarva before continuing his career as a Buffalo news anchor and reporter, says his mother’s final request has become a mission for the family.
They want Stevie Nicks to know what her music meant to her.
And, if possible, they want Stevie to call her before it’s too late.
“This isn’t about fame,” Petree says. “It’s about a woman who found something in Stevie’s music when she needed it most. My mom’s life hasn’t been easy. She fought her way out of poverty. She fought addiction. She built a family. And now, with very little time left, this is what she wants.”
The family is hoping the story reaches Nicks, her team, or someone who can help make that final wish possible.
For a woman who once needed music to help her find a way forward, perhaps the greatest gift now would be hearing the voice of the artist who helped give her the strength to keep going.
This is not simply a story about a celebrity phone call.
It is about addiction and recovery. Poverty and perseverance. A mother’s life. A son’s love. And the extraordinary impact a song can have on someone who is struggling to survive.
At a time when so much of the world can feel dark, the family hopes her story can become something else:
A reminder that people can change. That people can survive impossible chapters. That music can save someone in ways an artist may never know. And that sometimes, one small act of kindness can mean everything.
The family is asking news organizations, community members and anyone who sees this story to help spread the word.
Stevie, if this reaches you: she has one last request.
Please call her before it’s too late.
