The loss of a child is an unimaginable heartbreak, one that profoundly alters every aspect of a person’s life. It can fracture relationships, erode mental health, and leave parents grappling with an identity forever shaped by absence. Despite its devastating impact, child loss often remains a taboo topic, leaving many to suffer in silence, isolated by a lack of understanding and support.
Melissa Saleh, a journalist and viral blogger turned entrepreneur, knows this pain all too well. Her journey through grief began ten years ago with the loss of her first child, an experience that upended her world and set her on a path to rebuild her life from the ground up. “I experienced every mother’s worst nightmare,” she says. “That day destroyed nearly everything I thought I knew about life, this world, and my place in it. In the aftermath, I fought to stay afloat, be a “strong and resilient” woman, put on a brave face and keep going. The results were catastrophic.”
“Ten years ago, I experienced every mother’s worst nightmare,” she recalls. “I arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital to deliver my first child, only to learn that her heart had inexplicably stopped.”
That devastating moment shattered her understanding of life, leaving her struggling to stay afloat while society’s expectations urged her to put on a brave face and press forward.
Searching for solace, Saleh sought examples of women who had transcended similar birth trauma and infant loss. But she found silence—a lack of voices willing to publicly share the realities of such profound grief. In a culture that often encourages suppressing pain and moving on, Saleh buried her emotions, internalizing her grief as she tried to rebuild.
“The more I shoved down the extreme trauma, grief and pain, the more the losses kept mounting. I lost a subsequent pregnancy, my marriage, my first company, most of my friends, my professional reputation, my financial security and my mental health.” This spiral forced her to confront the overwhelming toll of unresolved grief.
At her lowest, Saleh made a radical decision to reclaim her life. “I stacked an apartment’s worth of possessions on a Brooklyn stoop with a sign reading “FREE STUFF”, shut down the company, tossed stacks of prescriptions and pill bottles in the trash, emptied the storage unit filled with my daughter’s never-used things, packed my remaining clothes into a 1992 Volvo sedan, and drove out of New York at dawn, rolling down my window and sticking out my hand to flip off all that pain and trauma as I sped over the Verrazano Bridge,” she shares.
Driving out of New York City at dawn, she left behind the life she created there to face a future filled with more questions than answers.
Over six years, she rebuilt her life from scratch, moving through four cities, three states, and two coasts. Along the way, Saleh made a pivotal choice: to become the woman she needed during her darkest days. “So I decided. I will become the woman I so desperately needed ten years earlier. I will create a new model of what it can mean to be a mother who has suffered Infant Loss,” she shares
This commitment led Saleh to transform her pain into purpose. Today, she’s not only a serial entrepreneur but also an advocate for those navigating the silent struggles of grief. Saleh’s desire is to support women and families dealing with infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and child loss, offering a space to share their stories and find strength in community.
“I have met many, many women carrying back-breaking pain from infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss and child loss. Every one of them is a silent, unsung warrior hero. Society has kept us hidden for centuries…maybe even longer. Our stories have been muffled, if they’ve been told at all. I have no clue where this journey leads. But I do know that following this path is how I honor myself, my ancestors (who also suffered stillbirth and infant loss) and my children…all of them.”
Saleh’s mission is clear: to dismantle the stigma surrounding these losses, create a culture of compassion, and ensure no one suffers alone. By sharing her story, she is lighting the way for others to confront their grief, embrace healing, and find hope. Her journey exemplifies the power of transforming life’s deepest pain into a force for change, building a legacy of strength, connection, and purpose.