At Oak Park and River Forest High School, Charlotte Melcher starred in soccer, tennis and track before graduating in 2017 and heading off to the University of Wisconsin.
In Madison, she decided to walk on to the women’s rowing team, but she had some disadvantages, according to her husband, Alex Marett, who was on the men’s rowing team.
First was practical; she had no experience rowing, though her parents, Chuck and Traci Melcher, both rowed in college. The second was physical; Marett said rowers are tall and slender. Melcher was 5-foot-6.
So what if the odds may have been stacked against her? She worked, and worked hard, especially her freshman year to make the team. She kept going, even through the pandemic, when the rowing season was cancelled. By her senior year, she was a captain and in the stroke seat of the varsity eight. For the uninitiated, that’s prestigious. She ended up first team all-Big Ten and second team all-American.
“She worked like crazy,” said Marett, a Cleveland native. “Her whole first year consisted of just making the cut and overcoming a physical deficit. She kept coming back.”
Now the 25-year-old is plying her hard work and never-give-up attitude in a different way. On April 16, she was out for a run in Madison, training for a marathon. She was reportedly hit by a distracted driver who ran a red light. Melcher suffered a traumatic brain injury, which resulted in an induced coma. Marett described it as a “very unfortunate incident of negligence.”
Though her injuries are serious and recovery will take time, Marett said she’s on the right track, because she knows how to bounce back.
“She seems aware and has movement in her limbs, seems to have a good level of understanding, and a good sense of humor,” he said.
The Oak Park community, where Melcher’s parents live, has rallied behind her and Marett, 2021 Wisconsin graduates who were married last September and closed on their first home just prior to the accident.
A GoFundMe page dedicated to medical expenses and care has raised over $100,000. That will be augmented by the proceeds from a benefit concert at 8 p.m. June 4 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn.
The Violet Hearts, which includes Melcher’s high school pal and soccer teammate Quinn Berleman-Paul, will open, with Tributosaurus following, performing the songs of the Beatles and Rolling Stones.
John Paul is Berleman-Paul’s dad and bassist for Tributosaurus. He said the concert is going to be special for him and bandmates Curt Morrison, Chris Neville and Matt Spiegel.
“It’s just doing what we can to be of assistance,” Paul said, adding that there is going to be a flood of emotion that evening.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’re just glad to be able to help.”
Berleman-Paul said her mom and Paul’s wife, Sheila Berleman, played a big role in coordinating the FitzGerald’s event.
“I appreciate my mom turning this grief into relief for Alex and Charlotte and the Melcher family,” she said. The Violet Hearts has an “indie-rock vibe,” she said, and while her dad’s band plays covers of different bands, her band will play original tunes.
All of this extra effort hasn’t gone unnoticed by Marett and Chuck Melcher.
“It’s going to be really touching to see all the people coming out to help Charlotte,” Marett said. “It’s going to be a really fun night. The support will mean the world to us. We’re thankful for it and can’t wait.”
Chuck Melcher said the caring of the Oak Park community has always been strong, even when the family moved to the area ahead of his daughter’s freshman year.
“She immediately made friends with the Chicago Edge soccer team, and then school,” he recalled. “She had these groups of friends that were welcome and opening. Oak Park was right for her – the kids were good, the school was good, the church was good.
“She found her home here.”
Tickets for the FitzGerald’s event are $35.20. If you’d like to contribute to the GoFundMe page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-charlotte-recover-from-a-devastating-brain-injury