Melissa Saltzman's Story

Adventurous Donor Doesn’t Let Blindness Stop Her

Melissa has explored caves in Georgia and says skydiving and bungee jumping are next on her list.

Melissa Saltzman was born with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare, cancerous tumor of the retina, which has rendered her blind since birth. Despite a lack of sight, nothing has prevented this energetic woman from believing in her ability to achieve her life’s goals. Born in Milford, Neb., Melissa has done more in her 30 years than some people accomplish in a lifetime.

When asked, Melissa will enthusiastically tell you her true passion in life is to love and serve others in her community. She learned about plasma donation through a friend, and didn’t know what to expect when she first visited a collection center. But, within a week, she began donating. She notes how wonderful it is to donate at the facility, the employees describe every step of the process so she is fully aware of what to expect and notes "Mark" is her favorite phlebotomist, but follows that comment with "but everyone’s good."

Her adventurous personality emerges as she explains how she has gone rock climbing (repelling) off Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tenn., has performed a tandem hang gliding flight, rode the Rip Cord at Worlds of Fun and went cave exploring, commonly known as “spelunking,” in Georgia. She chuckles a bit when telling this story, for she explains how she became the leader of the group since she could feel her way with less difficulty than her sighted cave explorers. She finishes by noting she still wants to try bungee jumping and skydiving.

A thrill-seeker, Melissa tried tandem hang gliding.

Having graduated High School in 1993, Melissa’s passion for life led to her attending the Commission for the Blind in Lincoln, Neb. where Mobility Classes covered how to cane travel, homemaking skills, woodshop and computers. She then moved to Ohio and attended Rosedale Bible Institute and graduated with an Associate Degree in Discipleship & Ministries and went on to receive a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Tennessee Temple University in May 2003.

In addition to her passion to love and serve others in her community, Melissa says she enjoys singing Southern Gospel and Country, taught herself to play the keyboard at age 16, the bass guitar at 27, enjoys baking (especially cookies, cakes, pies) and loves sports - basketball in particular. Her list of favorites includes singer Faith Hill, authors Lori Wick, Danielle Steele and radio dramas. Melissa is currently an Independent Reliv Distributor with her next venture to launch her Soy based nutritional company.