Their Story

Melanie and Rosalie Albright are sisters who were born with the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis. Throughout their short lives on earth, they both lived life to the fullest.

Melanie was very artistic, and after taking a theatre makeup class, she got involved as a volunteer makeup artist at The Biz Academy of Musical Theatre in Avon. She also painted set pieces and made props for several musicals, taught a theatre makeup class, and did face painting at charity fundraisers.

At the age of 18, Melanie needed a lifesaving double lung transplant. Melanie passed away on January 14, 2014, waiting for new lungs that would never come.

Rosalie, we say, has been singing since before she could sit up on her own. Rosie became involved in performing at church and was in her first musical at Hendricks Civic Theatre. After that show with HCT, The Biz opened, and Rosie enrolled in dance classes, voice lessons and auditioned for every show they offered. If she was too old to be in a show, Rosie was backstage helping the younger kids.

At the age of 14, Rosie needed her life-saving double lung transplant. On July 14, 2014, exactly 6 months since Melanie lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis, Rosie received her double lung transplant. 3 months later, Rosie was back on stage performing as Goldilocks in Shrek the Musical. Rosie would go on to perform in two more musicals with her new lungs. Rosie’s body was too smart for its own good and a year after her she received her new lease on life, her body was rejecting her donor’s lungs. On May 4th, 2016, Rosie took her last breaths on this Earth and joined Melanie in heaven.

In late 2016 Melanie and Rosie’s family created the Everything’s Coming Up Rosie Award. This award is presented to one male and one female who have participated in musicals at The Biz and have shown the same dedication to theatre and love and kindness to others as Rosie had shown. This year we will be presenting the Rosie Award again to one male and one female.

Melanie and Rosie’s family decided to create The Melanie and Rosalie Albright Foundation in 2017 to offer scholarships and performance opportunities to help other young people continue to participate in youth theatre.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Melanie and Rosie.

R.D. & Aimee Albright and Family