When Melody Clore woke up in a hospital room after nearly two months in a coma, she didn’t remember how she got there, only that she had survived.
“I heard a voice tell me I still had work to do,” she said. “When I woke up, I realized I’d been given another chance and I wasn’t going to waste it.”
That moment came after the darkest chapter of her life. For years, Melody had lived in survival mode — enduring a difficult childhood, a 13-year abusive relationship, addiction and homelessness. She was carrying trauma she didn’t yet know how to face.
“I was walking the streets of Raleigh with two suitcases, just trying to figure out where to go next,” she said. “I was surrounded by people smoking fentanyl on the corners. It was scary and I felt completely lost.”
When one of her abusers reached out unexpectedly in an intrusive way, it pushed her past her breaking point. In 2024, feeling trapped and hopeless, Melody attempted suicide.
“I didn’t really want to die,” she said. “I just didn’t know how to keep living that way.”
A Wake-Up Call
Melody’s suicide attempt left her in a coma for nearly two months. When she woke up, she described it as both terrifying and transformational — a moment that shifted her entire perspective.
“When I opened my eyes, I didn’t know what had happened, but I knew I’d been given another chance,” she said. “I promised myself that if I got out of that bed, I would change my life.”
That promise became her turning point. Determined to recover, Melody entered treatment in Raleigh, where she began confronting her trauma and rebuilding from the ground up.
Finding Hope Through Monarch
Through her treatment facility, Melody was referred to Dr. John Latz, Medical Director of Specialty Services at Monarch. It was there that she found something she hadn’t felt in a long time — hope.
“Dr. Latz doesn’t just see me for five minutes and hand me a prescription,” she said. “He asks about my life, my home, my goals and he really listens to me. It’s more than psychiatry; it’s care.”
With Monarch’s support, Melody began stabilizing her mental health and maintaining her sobriety. She said the compassion she found through Monarch made all the difference.
“Monarch helped me find my footing again,” she said. “I’ve been through hospitals where you’re just another name on a chart. But here, I feel like a person who matters. They care about my life, not just my diagnosis.”
A Life Reclaimed
Today, Melody lives in Roxboro, North Carolina, in what she calls her “peaceful place.” Nearly two years sober, she continues trauma therapy and finds strength in her faith.
“I used to pity myself and chase the idea of a perfect family,” she said. “When I woke up from that coma, I realized it was about healing.”
She’s now writing a memoir about her experiences and hopes that sharing her story will help others who feel afraid to ask for help.
“You may feel alone, but you’re not,” Melody said. “There are people who care and there’s help out there — you just have to take that first step.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is here when you’re ready.
Stories like Melody’s remind us of the power of help and the hope that recovery brings — and of why Monarch exists: to support, to listen and to walk beside every person on their path toward healing.
Learn more about our Behavioral Health Services or call (866) 272-7826 for information about psychiatric care, therapy and recovery support.