Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melanie Kizine. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The story behind my mission is simple. I hope to be to others, the person I didn’t have during my journey as a Mom of a child with a diagnosis.

Melanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Mom of a son diagnosed with Brachial Plexus Injury, an injury he suffered at birth.

I empower, engage, and excite families and caregivers of children with a disability to live a ceiling-free life, despite a medical diagnosis.

What sets me apart is that I speak from experience and am happy to share my journey and learn about the journey/path of other families similarly situated to mine. I accomplish this through storytelling to increase awareness of disability and activate greater disability inclusion.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Here is the story of a time I had to pivot in life:
I was expecting to deliver my son like normal, leave the hospital and move on with life in hopes of attending law school. His birth/delivery was anything like normal.

He weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds! Unfortunately, not via C-Section which caused his birth injury. He was stuck in the birth canal, then pulled out by his left arm to safety.
This unexpected, traumatic delivery, caused me to pivot from the plans I had to a whole new world that included multiple surgeries, and occupational and physical therapy.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn is as follows: I was under the belief that I was alone in my journey as a parent of a disabled child. I was the only person in the world with a medical diagnosis for my child. At just seven days old, my son started physical therapy, then occupational therapy at our local children’s hospital. It was there that I began learning and meeting other parents with children that were disabled.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: iknowthatvoice85

Image Credits
777@7 Event: The Bunker Center for The Arts, KE Griffin Photographs courtesy of: El B Visual Arts