BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY MELISSA BELL: A MOTHER'S LOVE FOR HER GIFTED DAUGHTER.
Sometimes, it is not easy to watch those that came years after us in a particular career or profession hit the limelight before our eyes. The pain could even be deeper if the person is close or related to us. We all have the tendency to be a bit envious when others are doing better than us. However, it is human nature to feel insecure if we perceive others are doing better than us. This brings us to the admirable behaviour of Melissa Bell towards her Award winning daughter and 2008 X-Factor winner, Alexandra Burke.
Melissa Bell, a Londoner of Jamaican ancestry is a former member of the Grammy winning R&B act, Soul II Soul. She was one of the group's singers alongside Caron Wheeler, Doreen Waddell, Lamya Al-Mugheiry and Rose Windross. She left Soul II Soul in 1997 to form and front another group, Soul Explosion. The group has been in existence since 1999. You can watch videos of Melissa performing with Soul Explosion on YOUTUBE. The crux of this article is how she has refused Alexandra Burke's offer to donate one of her kidneys to her in a bid to save her life. Melissa is suffering from kidney failure and she has been on dialysis for about 18 months while waiting for a kidney on the NHS. Bell's family have a history of diabetes and her children Aaron, David, Sheneice and Alexandra could come down with the condition in the future.
Melissa is remarkable as she gives her reasons for not accepting Alexandra's Kidney. According to her- 'I need a new kidney. Alex offered me hers and was very serious about it, but if you take a kidney from a woman who hasn't had babies, you take away her chance of raising a family. That's more than robbery. It is downright wicked.' Melissa knows the consequences of taking her daughter's kidney and she wants Alex to savour the joy of holding a baby in her arms. She has accepted to take a kidney from David, her eldest son. David has just finished writing his final exams at Hertfordshire University and he is willing to help his mother out. After Alexandra triumphed at the X-Factor finals in 2008, stories popped up in the mainstream media about a rift between her and Melissa. The grapevine hinted that Melissa was jealous of her daughter's success. Alex's mum snapped back- 'What type of mum is jealous of her daughter? She doesn't have the millions yet, but when she does she'll look after me.'
Alexandra Burke who celebrated her 22nd birthday yesterday with a work trip to Ireland [ Burke's new song 'Start With You' comes out in the country this week ] will surely be able to take care of her mother very soon. This is because her career is on the rise. Her debut album 'Overcome' ( Syco Music, 2009 ) sold 132,000 copies in its first week of release. Four songs on the album, 'Hallelujah', 'Bad Boys', 'Broken Heels' and 'All Night Long' are very popular and have done well on the UK and Irish Singles Charts. 'Overcome' was also certified platinum in the United Kingdom and has been nominated for Best Album 2010 at the Urban Music Awards. You need to buy a copy of 'Overcome' to get my drift. Alexandra has a £1 Million contract with Simon Cowell's Syco Records [ A subsidiary of Sony BMG ] for winning the X-Factor. She has already received a £150,000 cash advance while the remaining money has been allocated to recording and marketing costs. RV is proud to associate with Melissa Bell and her wonderful daughter, Alexandra Burke [ Burke has been romantically linked with English Rugby player Danny Cipriani recently ]. They have set a good example as to how a Mother-Daughter relationship should be like irrespective of fame and media hype.
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