Melissa is a mother, wife, advocate & blogger who was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She has two children, a 16-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy and a 3-year-old son with Bruton’s which is an autoimmunodeficiency. She believes it is her mission to change how too many people with disabilities are viewed as charity cases or inspirational trinkets. She recently co-founded a nonprofit, Forward RISE, which advocates for the inclusion and equality for people with disabilities.