Nina Pleshe
Founder/President

I am a mama to 5 littles earthside, ranging from 9m to 13. My oldest is a boy, followed by 4 sweet girls. I married my high school sweetheart and we live in Hibbing. I am also a Registered Nurse, keeping my license active but stepped away from that career during this busy life season. I owned and ran my own boutique for 8+ years, Nina Brooke. I closed during Covid and rebranded. I am now getting to focus on photography am absolutely loving it! Life has been incredibly full.

In February of 2021 I experienced a 10 week missed miscarriage. We had just told our kids about baby on Valentine’s Day, and listened to the heartbeat all together on a home doppler just after 9 weeks. That has become one of my sweetest memories. I had had trouble finding baby’s heartbeat after that, and felt a decrease in my nausea. I was worried when I went into my 10 week appointment but I had no other symptoms of loss or miscarriage. I didn’t even really fully realize what a missed miscarriage was. The heartbreaking news was confirmed as I lay there alone on the ultrasound table. I walked through very painful moments over the next weeks and months. You can read my full story on our website tab labeled stories.

That experience really affected me deeply. Not only walking in my own grief but explaining loss and navigating my children’s emotions was profound. I had a few friends/family bring my gifts/items in memory after my loss. I had family/friends I could call when my head was spinning. I had my nursing knowledge to try to grasp at my options and make a well rounded decision. Once I left the fog of my heartbreak it just really weighed on my heart how much is lacking in our care around miscarriage. Support groups, a gift in memory, a helping hand to guide through the pain. It was then that I knew I wanted to start a nonprofit to help women who miscarriage, suffer stillbirth, child loss, and so many experiences in between. An amazing group of women came together as I opened up for a board and we really want to make an impact on those going through these heartbreaking experiences and life changing losses.  

Stephany Vesel
Vice President

Stephany has been so supportive since the beginning. She has attended a donation drop off, our memorial walk, and shared her heart and passion at one of our very first collaborative meetings. She brings SO much heart, love, and drive to our group already with her go getter personality. Here is a little of her heart –

I am a mom to my rainbow baby Jackson, bonus daughter Kylee and we have a rescue dog Piper. I have known my husband for 18 years and have been married for 5 of them. I am currently working as an ER Tech at Fairview. I also have been coaching figure skating for 15 years and just recently starting coaching JV cheer in Hibbing.

We got married in 2018 and just like many couples we started trying to expand our family. We went through a few years of multiple testing due to not being able to conceive. Then in March of 2021, we had a positive pregnancy test. We were so thrilled with joy and excitement; we couldn’t wait to tell our close friends and family. When we went to our first ultrasound appointment, we got the devastating news there was no heartbeat. After 16 days of waitng for our baby to pass, I ended up having a D & C. Time passed and we had decided that we were going to start trying again after the new year. In October of 2021, I had a positive home pregnancy test. All the emotions came back, and it was the longest wait to have the first ultrasound a hear a heartbeat. On June 8, 2022 we had our rainbow baby Jackson.

Since having my miscarriage, it has left me with the ultimate question “Why?” Although there never seems to be the perfect or right answer. I know now how common a loss can be. When I heard about Light after Loss I knew I wanted to be part of this group and help anyway I can in supporting moms and families of losses. I am so grateful and thankful to represent Light after Loss Mn.

Kristina Koski
Treasurer

I am a wife and mother to an 11-year-old boy. I earned my MBA from Concordia University–St. Paul, MN, and am currently pursuing my PhD at Concordia University–Mequon, WI. I love being outdoors and volunteering, and I’ve always been drawn to roles where I can serve and support others.

Professionally, I stay busy and fulfilled. I work full-time for a well drilling business, part-time for a medical device company and a newspaper, and I recently started my own bookkeeping business, In The Pines Bookkeeping. Each role gives me a different way to contribute, learn, and connect with my community.

My path toward supporting families through loss began when I was just 15. On June 5, 1999, my dad and his girlfriend welcomed my baby brother, Bailey, into the world. He was perfect. I was there for his birth and even had the honor of cutting the umbilical cord.

Just a few months later, on August 16, 1999, my world changed forever. We received a phone call that Bailey had been found unresponsive at daycare. We later learned he had passed away from SIDS. There were no clear answers. The shock, grief, and lack of resources during that time shaped me deeply. Losing an infant affects an entire family, and I spent many years searching for a meaningful way to help others through this kind of heartbreak.

That search eventually led me to surrogacy. I wanted to give another family the chance to feel the overwhelming love I felt when my own son, Lloyd, was born. In 2023, I found an agency and was matched with the most incredible intended parents. The journey was truly beautiful. They continue to send me pictures and updates, and seeing their joy made every step worth it. From the moment we met, I couldn’t wait for them to hold their baby girl and experience that indescribable love. It was a blessing in every way.

So when the treasurer position opened with Light After Loss MN, I instantly felt called to apply. The timing felt right, and I knew I had finally found another meaningful way to support families navigating infant loss. In many ways, it feels like the continuation of a promise I made to myself years ago—to turn heartbreak into hope for others.

Tina Holm
Secretary

Hi, my name is Tina. I’m an auntie to many, a nurse, a daughter, a sister, a puppy mama, a fisher-woman—and a wife of nearly 25 years to my husband, Scott. After twenty years of the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities, we followed our hearts north to Cook. It was there that I found Light After Loss MN-a community that offered compassion, understanding, and hope—and recently began my journey serving as secretary.

I am now grateful for the opportunity to continue fulfilling my purpose through Light After Loss MN. My hope is that all who experience loss finds the same support, love, and encouragement that this incredible organization provides. I feel truly blessed to have found my place here.

My story begins in 2008, seven years after my husband and I were married. Like many couples, we decided to start trying for a family, but our journey did not have the expected happy ending. We experienced two miscarriages that year and, in the years that followed, endured the deep and complex emotions that come with losing those dreams. Our plans for the future shifted, and I struggled to understand my true purpose. I felt hurt, angry, and empty, and my faith wavered. I longed to be a mother, but God had a different plan. For many years, I questioned why.

In 2019, while on a mission trip to Kenya, I assisted as a nurse at a small girls’ school. The girls were full of joy, laughter, gratitude, love, and faith—even though their young lives had been shaped by sadness, abandonment, and poverty. It was there that my story finally came into focus. I realized I had been living my purpose all along. I was not meant to be a mother in the traditional sense; instead, I was meant to serve others—as a wife, daughter, sister, auntie, friend, and nurse. Understanding this brought me peace and allowed my heart to fully embrace the life my husband and I have been given.