Sydnee Faith Owens was diagnosed at the age of 7 with non- Hodgkins Lymphoma. Battling through many procedures, including two bone marrow transplants, she was unable to attend public school, so Sydnee was forced to homeschool in order to reduce
interaction with people to lower the risk of acquiring an infection or sickness. During this time while homeschooling, Sydnee learned of the tragedy happening in Haiti after several hurricanes went through their country causing their already limited water sources to become contaminated causing many to die of cholera. As a 13-year-old, she wanted to do something about it, and the idea to raise money for water wells in Haiti was born. Sydnee always had a heart for the hurting, even though she herself was going through a crazy amount of procedures that caused great pain and many side effects. She would often refer to Philippians 4:13 during these times, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
I believe that God does not waste pain in our lives, and in wanting to continue this dream, as well as help me to deal with the deep hurt that came from losing such a special child, the Faith Moving Forward (FMF) foundation was formed. Sydnee’s dream was to bring clean water to all the people of Haiti, and FMF wants to do what we can to keep this dream alive. On top of that, we want to keep Sydnee’s story of faith alive through health care providers and offering scholarships to them. We will be sharing the story to these applicants on how deeply impactful health care staff, specifically nurses, were to her physical care, mental care and everyday morale. We would like these applicants to see what a huge impact they can make on a patient and the patient’s family’s lives by going above the call of just nursing skills by being intentional in treating patients and showing them a love that carries on past a patient’s room. God has given us a great platform to speak from, and we intend on trying to show the love and grace that only He can show through us. Thank you for considering sponsorship of FMF. We look forward to what can be accomplished through a 13-year-old little girl with cancer taking a leap of faith.