Grief and trauma will impact most of us at some point in our lives.
For Melissa Saleh, a journalist turned serial entrepreneur, trauma struck her ten years ago.
“Ten years ago, I experienced every mother’s worst nightmare: I arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital to deliver my first child, only to learn that her heart had suddenly and inexplicably stopped,” 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.”
Following this, Saleh sought to find someone who had experienced birth trauma and infant loss and truly transcended it, but was unable to find someone who had experienced that and was willing to speak publicly about it.
In a society that pressures people to dust it off and keep moving forward, Melissa Saleh shoved this traumatic episode of her life down, internalizing the trauma and grief.
“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 led to a major shift in Saleh’s life, which at the time was in New York City.
“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 explains.
This move would go on to change her life.
“It took me six years, four cities, three states and two coasts to rebuild my Self and my Life from scratch. I had to shut down nearly everything in order to face the grief, trauma, pain and confusion. 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.”
Saleh turned her pain into purpose, founding organizations and helping startups get off the ground. Now her mission is to become a voice to those experiencing these silent struggles, providing resources, and fostering a community of shared strength.
While many women and families have similar experiences, we as a society do not speak of them, leaving many women to suffer silently.
“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.”
Saleh’s journey shows that breaking the silence around these experiences is the first step toward healing and change. By sharing her story and empowering others to do the same, she hopes to dismantle the stigma and create a culture of compassion and understanding. Saleh aims to ensure that no one has to navigate these depths of grief alone, transforming pain into purpose and building a legacy of hope and resilience.
About Infant Loss and Stillbirth
About one pregnancy in 100 at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later is affected by stillbirth, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.
The causes of many stillbirths are unknown. Stillbirth occurs in families of all races, ethnicities, and income levels, and to women of all ages. But there are things that a woman can do before and during pregnancy to increase her chance of having a healthy baby:
- Be sure that medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, are under control before and during pregnancy.
- Avoid smoking cigarettes during pregnancy.
- Strive to reach and maintain a healthy weight before pregnancy.
Conclusion
Melissa Saleh’s journey illustrates that transforming profound loss into a source of inspiration for others is not just about offering support—it’s a deeply transformative process that reshapes the person doing it. By sharing her story and creating a supportive community, Melissa has not only challenged the silence and stigma surrounding infant loss and stillbirth but has also built extraordinary resilience within herself. This process of turning grief into purpose fosters inner strength, emotional endurance, and the ability to face challenges with grace. For anyone—whether an entrepreneur or an individual—this kind of resilience becomes a powerful asset, proving that even the most profound struggles can lead to profound personal growth.