Bio
Melissa is the survivor of a failed saline infusion abortion in 1977. Despite the initial concerns regarding Melissa’s future after surviving the attempt to end her life and being born alive at approximately six months gestation, she has not only survived but thrived. With a Master’s Degree in Social Work, she has worked in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence/sexual assault counseling, and child welfare.
Melissa was formerly a College Outreach Speaker with Feminists for Life, traveling to college campuses to share her story with others and advocate for resources and support for pregnant and parenting college students (her mother, herself, was a college student at the time of her pregnancy with her) and to advocate for the rights of the unborn.
Melissa is the Founder and Director of For Olivia’s Sake, an organization which seeks to peacefully raise awareness of the intergenerational impact of abortion on men, women, children, families, and communities. In Melissa’s own words, being an abortion attempt survivor encompasses so much more than just herself, or her fellow unborn brothers and sisters. Melissa has experienced firsthand the impact that her biological mother’s abortion has had on not only her biological parents, but also their parents, their siblings and their children. Her biological mother’s abortion attempt has not only impacted Melissa, herself, and her adoptive family, but also her husband and his family, her friends and acquaintances, and now her own child, Olivia.
The birth of Olivia, her first child, in 2008, prompted Melissa to found For Olivia’s Sake. Painfully aware that Olivia’s beautiful life was almost over before it ever began, as Melissa was to be aborted, herself, and therefore, Olivia would not have come into existence, Melissa felt driven to create this organization that would positively raise awareness of the impact of abortion across generations.
Although she has ended her time as a College Outreach Speaker with Feminists for Life, Melissa continues to share her life’s story and the story of the Lord’s story and glory with individuals and groups as diverse as grade school children, Right to Life groups, college students, and church congregations. Fulfilling the purpose that she believes God set out for her when He saved her from the certain death of the abortion attempt, Melissa is truly a voice for the voiceless.
For more information about hosting Melissa at an upcoming event, please see the “links” section on this site for more information on Ambassador Speaker’s Bureau, the oldest and most established faith-based talent agency in the United States, who Melissa is affiliated with, or visit the Ambassador Speaker’s Bureau website directly at ambassadorspeakers.com. You may also contact Melissa directly with any questions about speaking availability or for general comments, using the “contact” section.
