You never quite know what is going to go viral once it is posted online. Nurse Faye Lewis posted something at random and it became wildly popular. She was talking to her mother about the challenges she had faced through the years. Recently, she began a doctorate program on her quest to become a family nurse practitioner.

“Over the years I’ve often called my mom, upset, saying things like I can do this or, I’m just done. But, my mom always encourages me and says, keep going, you’ve always made it work.”

While they were having the conversation, she found something that was a good reminder.

She used to be a fast food worker but now she is a registered nurse.

She said the following on a popular nurse website:

“I found a plastic baggie full of my old batches and noticed that my new badge now listed my BSN, I snapped the photo – to encourage myself. 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.”

Before long, the story took on a life of its own and began being shared online hundreds of thousands of times. They were praising her for her hard work and said she was an inspiration.

“I didn’t know such a simple post would inspire so many. People were telling me that the post gives them hope. I owe that to God,” she said.

She continued to persist, even when things weren’t easy.

Faye has always been inspired by her mother. She was a certified nursing assistant. When she was 16, she got her first job at KFC.

She received 11 academic scholarships for college and most of her classes gave her excellent grades. She did get two B’s in classes that kept her out of nursing school. She also became pregnant with her first child when she was in her freshman year.

She decided to leave University and move closer to her parents so her child would have the extra support.

Additional doors opened for Faye. This included being promoted to a manager at KFC and various educational opportunities. She worked a number of jobs at the same times and studied and she took her board exam on the same day as a managers meeting at KFC.

She then got her Associates degree in nursing and at that time, her professor said that many students tended to lose their loved ones while in nursing school.

The warning came true when, three days later, she lost her father, three cousins and the family dog in a house fire.

“One of my best friends called me hysterically crying. When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God.”

Faye continued moving forward. “My faith and relationship with God helped me get through that dark time. I prayed a lot and asked God to guide me. I had a supportive family I knew my dad wouldn’t want me to quit.”

She went through a number of years of hard work and hardships but she is now a registered nurse.

She says:

“The hospital did a photo shoot and flew me down to Florida for the awards. I had no idea it would be on the Billboard.”

“Nursing is my calling and I love what I do. I don’t do it for the money – I’m far from rich. It is my passion and I love helping others.”

Thank you Faye. You are an example for all of us.