Melanie DeSimone has been married to her husband, Hector, since 1984. Together they are the parents of four children and grandparents of two. When their son, Dominic, ran ahead to Heaven in a single vehicle motorcycle accident at age 23, Melanie longed for resources that were honest about the intersection of child loss and faith in Jesus. She didn’t want to read curated stories of victory that left out the hard parts. So in 2015, she began writing a blog, The Life I Didn’t Choose, and sharing the good, the bad and the struggle as openly and honestly as humanly possible. The daily posts are available online, by email subscription at thelifeididntchoose.com and on Facebook. She has reached over 4,000,000 readers and established a library of over 3,000 posts. She continues to write and post every day.

Melanie’s goal is to light a candle in the dark night of child loss, pointing others to the hope who is Jesus and remind them that Morning is coming. Melanie recently formed Heartache and Hope, a non-profit ministry, to allow others to partner with her as she serves bereaved parents, families and those who love them. Heartache and Hope provides free, intimate, Christ-centered retreats for moms, downloadable resources for bereaved parents and those who serve them, online support groups and social media resources for parents grieving the loss of a child. To learn more, please visit the ministry website at heartacheandhope.org.

Melanie hosts an online support group via Facebook, an in-person bereaved parent support group at her church, shares on podcasts, hosts and facilitates retreats, leads online book studies and accepts speaking engagements when life permits. She loves reading, writing, studying Scripture, extending hospitality and having interesting and wide-ranging conversations with people from all kinds of backgrounds.

OHAH Facilitator-Book Study, Webinars, Conference Speaker, Contributing Author, Until Then: Stories of Loss and Hope.

Ministry — Heartache and Hope

Blog — The Life I Didn’t Choose