Faye Lewis has become an inspiration for many after the 27-year-old shared her powerful story.
Being raised in a religious family, Lewis always wanted to become a Certified Nursing Assistant and follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Things were great initially. Lewis had several academic scholarships and she was doing incredibly well in her studies.
However, her life changed when she became pregnant at the end of her first year. Her grades started falling and she got denied from nursing school after scoring two B’s.
That’s when she had to make one of the toughest choices in her life. She could either retake her classes or take a break to spend time with her son.
“I probably wouldn’t have chosen this journey. But, it’s my journey, I own it. I embrace it,” she told Nurse.org.
“My family really supported me and helped me make it possible. When I had him, it gave me even more strength to pursue my dreams so he can do the same.”
By then, she had also started working at a KFC where she was constantly rising through the ranks. She managed to complete her CNA training by 2010 and got her license as an LPN in nine months.
Lewis then decided to pursue her education to become an Associate’s in Nursing while also working as both an LPN and a KFC employee.
However, it was just one week through her degree when she was struck with the biggest tragedy in her life.
There was a fire in her house which claimed the lives of her father, her three cousins, and her family dog. Though her mother survived, Lewis had lost much of her family in an instant.
“One of my best friends called me hysterically crying,” she recalled. “When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God.”
“My faith and relationship with God helped me get through that dark time,” Lewis admitted. “I prayed a lot and asked God to guide me. I had a supportive family and I knew my Dad wouldn’t want me to quit.”
The brave woman didn’t lose hope and went on to earn an Associate’s in Nursing in 2014 and a BA in 2016. Now a Doctorate Program was all that was left for her.
“Over the years I’ve often called my mom, upset, saying things like I can’t do this or, I’m just done,” she said. “But, my Mom always encourages me and says, keep going, you’ve always made it work.”
It was when she realized how she could motivate herself for a Doctorate program. She took a photo of all the badges that she had earned so far and shared it on social media.
“I found a plastic baggie full of my old badges and noticed that my new badge now listed my BSN so, I snapped the photo – to encourage myself,” Lewis said.
“I had been through a lot, and I knew I could do this too. I didn’t post it for attention. I just wanted to have this photo to motivate me through my Doctorate program.”
Lewis has now become an inspiration for people across the globe.
“I didn’t know such a simple post would inspire so many,” she said. “People are telling me that the post gives them hope. I owe that to God.”
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