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Trend Setters College of Cosmetology – A Paul Mitchell Partner School Story

With three children under age six and a husband working over 50 hours a week, stay-at-home mom Melissa Sederholm already had a huge job on her hands. When she found out she was expecting a fourth child in January 1998, she cried all the way home from the doctor’s office. Her husband quickly reassured her that they would manage somehow.

As the months passed, Melissa and her family were very happy. They chose the name Victoria Renea, and the children came to doctor’s appointments to hear their new sister’s heartbeat. During her six-month checkup, Melissa went into labor; the baby had no heartbeat and would not survive. She remembers passing out and waking up alone in a delivery room, where she held the lifeless little fetus for a few minutes. She went home the next day without having a funeral or baptizing Victoria Renea.

Over the next two years, Melissa suffered from depression, anxiety, and hallucinations. Sometimes she heard the baby crying and pretended she was there. “I remember not caring whether I lived or died, and waking up feeling so bad that I couldn’t get out of bed,” she says. Melissa’s job at a nursing home didn’t help matters, either. “I loved the job, loved the people, but I would get close to them and they would die.”

Eventually, hearing her children cry and ask what had happened to Mommy made Melissa seek treatment for her depression and anxiety. Then she took another giant step and joined the team at Trend Setters College of Cosmetology – A Paul Mitchell Partner School.

“Working at Trend Setters has affected me in such a positive way,” she says. “I have taken the culture home and included it in our daily lives. I love who I am today and I know this is where I belong. I love it when I see the Paul Mitchell culture and spirit come to life within our Future Professionals. I have seen many come in with such empty hearts and within those first few weeks of Core have such joy and smiles on their faces.”

Melissa’s advice for others dealing with depression or suicide: “Get involved, talk to people, and open your eyes to the unseen. The sad thing for me was that nobody knew what I was going through: not my husband, parents, sisters, or friends. Don’t be afraid to talk and discuss life. Life is real and it happens to every one of us.”

More inspirational Paul Mitchell School stories and beauty industry news can be found a Paul Mitchell The School, http://www.paulmitchell.edu or TrendSetters College of Cosmetology, http://www.trendsetterscollege.com