From Pain to Purpose, The Story Behind Salah Publishing
Founded by Dr. Julia Theresa Kanhai, Salah Publishing House was born from a mother’s journey through fear, faith, and healing.
A story that began when her three-year-old son, Salah, survived a life-threatening accident.
In November 2021, my son Salah faced an accident that changed our family forever. What began as an ordinary day turned into a moment that tested every ounce of strength and faith we had. But the name Salah means prayer, peace, and wholeness and that became our guiding light through recovery.
Over the years that followed, we leaned on therapy, community, and faith. Most of all, we turned to storytelling. Guided by child therapists trained in Narrative Reframing, we learned how stories could heal helping Salah see his scars not as reminders of pain, but as signs of courage and survival.
Today, at age seven, Salah is thriving curious, creative, and full of dreams. His journey inspired the creation of Salah Publishing, Guyana’s first publishing house dedicated to promoting emotional and mental wellbeing in children and families.
Our tale is proof that healing is possible, hope is real, and that every story no matter how it begins, can still end well.
Founder’s Story
My story began on November 26, 2021, beside a hospital bed, after my three-year-old son, Salah, survived a life-threatening accident of being stuck in a kiddie’s swimmy pool drain.
Just hours earlier, we had endured forty-five agonizing minutes as twenty first responders worked tirelessly to free our little boy. The sounds, the urgency, and the uncertainty of those moments are forever etched in our hearts. When they finally pulled him free — silent, still, and without a detectable pulse — our world seemed to stop. Yet, by some miracle, he returned to us. The name Salah, meaning prayer, peace, and wholeness, came to embody our journey from fear to faith — the beginning of our family’s own Phoenix story.
The years that followed were filled with therapy, anxiety, and small miracles — learning to move his fingers again, to breathe easily in hospitals, to trust the world. Guided by child therapists trained in Narrative Reframing, we learned to use stories as healing tools, helping Salah reshape his memories, and see his scars not as pain, but as proof of courage and survival.
Today, at age seven, Salah is thriving — still facing teasing for his scars, yet full of imagination and pride. At bedtime, he becomes a doctor, a police officer, a scientist — and lately, a soccer star who dreams of meeting Ronaldo. From pain came purpose. From our healing came Salah Publishing. Now, we create safe spaces where families and school communities can reframe their hardest days.
Our tale is proof that healing is possible, hope is real, and every life can become a story that ends well, no matter how it began.
Aiming for Brighter Skies
At Salah Publishing, storytelling is more than creativity, it’s healing.
A story can hold what the heart cannot yet say, turning memories into meaning, fear into faith, and challenges into change.
We believe that when truth is shared with love, healing begins — and every story, no matter how difficult, can find its hopeful ending.
Mission
To help children and families heal, grow, and connect through emotionally meaningful stories inspired by real-life experiences — stories that always end with hope.
Vision
To inspire a global movement in story-based healing, empowering children, parents, and educators to use storytelling as a bridge between emotion and understanding — between trauma and transformation.
Our Core Values
Empathy
We listen with heart and write with understanding.
Honesty
We tell real stories with gentleness and respect.
GROWTH
Every experience, even painful ones, can teach strength.
FAMILY
Love and connection are the roots of all healing.
HOPE
Because no story is over until it ends well.