The Empowering Story Behind This Picture of a Nurse's Employee Badges

A nurse's employee ID badges through the years paint a powerful story. On Facebook, Faye Lewis shared a picture of her many badges that depicted her journey from a KFC employee to a registered nurse. Though that picture has since gone viral, it's the complete story behind it that's extraordinary.

In an interview with a prominent nursing blog, Faye said she had always planned on being a nurse. As a teenager, she started working at KFC to help out her parents. While in college, Faye became pregnant shortly after she found out she wasn't admitted to nursing school. At that point, she thought it was best to move closer to home. "My family really supported me and helped me make it possible," she said. "When I had him, it gave me even more strength to pursue my dreams so he can do the same."

After giving birth to her son AJ, Faye enrolled in her local community college and continued working at KFC, eventually becoming a manager. Then things began looking up. Faye landed a job at an assisted living facility and enrolled in a government program, New Step, which helped her complete her nursing assistant training. Amazingly, Faye managed to still maintain her job at KFC while pursuing an associate's degree in nursing.

Then something tragic happened: Faye's father, three cousins, and family dog were killed in a house fire. "When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God," she said. Despite the devastating loss, Faye tried to instead focus on her career. In 2016, she finally achieved her bachelor's degree in nursing. Now, she's working on her doctorate.

The picture of Faye's badges currently has over 100,000 shares and 46,000 reactions on Facebook. Faye said she hopes the picture will motivate her as she pursues her doctorate, as well as remind her of how far she's come. "I probably wouldn't have chosen this journey. But, it's my journey, I own it. I embrace it," she said.