Biography

Melānie Valdez Mendez Munden was born in 1973 Parañaque, Manila Philippines. Her mother Carmelita Valdez Mendez struggled with her labor as the baby in her womb impatiently wanted out at barely 7 months in her incubation. Melānie was the first cesarean section performed by a woman surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital. The survivor's instincts was on as this young human determined to fight her way into this world. 

As Melānie grew she was told numerous times that her parents wanted to abort the fetus in learning that her mother was with child in her menopausal years. This greatly troubled the young child up to her formative years. 

Vicente Mequizo Mendez is Melānie's father who she recalls only meeting three times before he passed on when Melānie was only 7 years old. The next time she would see him was when his body arrived in a wooden casket in their home from Egypt. Vicente was a mechanical engineer for the US Navy. 

Melānie, her mother and brother Laurence, immigrated to Canada with her mother and brother from the Philippines at the ripe age of 12. They came for a new life opportunity as the Philippine government at the time was going through some political upheaval. The opportunity to move to Canada arose as Melānie's oldest sibling of six Estephanie,  was already residing in Nova Scotia. Shortly after their Canadian citizenship they then sponsored the rest of the Mendez and the Valdez family from the Philippines. 

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