Sinaiyah, Courageous Kids Contest U.S. Air Force Winner
April 10, 2024
Sinaiyah, 15, was selected as OMK's Courageous Kids Contest winner in the U.S. Air Force category! Sinaiyah is the child of two U.S. Air Force Veterans, one in treatment for combat-related injuries.
"In everything Sinaiyah does, she shows she is brave and in all the troubles that my family has gone through she has stayed strong," said Sinaiyah's sister, Azara (13).
"Sinaiyah exhibited courage, strength and resilience last year in multiple ways," said her mother, a U.S. Air Force Veteran. "When her sister was initially misdiagnosed and later found with a severe form of appendicitis that required her to be hospitalized multiple times in the span of two months, Sinaiyah held down the fort and helped to care for her Dad [a combat-injured USAF Veteran], since my time was spent at the hospital taking care of her little sister.
Since we live away from family and we do not have many friends in the area who understand the unique needs of our family, this courageous child took over my duties as my husband's caregiver, helping my husband with prepping meals and taking care of my daily demands and responsibilities. As if she hadn't already matured enough from past hardships and challenges, her level of growth and strength increased especially when my husband regressed due to the amount of stress and fear we felt for our youngest' daughter's life, which impacted him severely.
I was amazed at how she carried on with taking care of home responsibilities and used that time to help out at our church, especially with the Wednesday youth group. Additionally, weeks after our youngest daughter finally had her appendix removed and after she was finally discharged, my husband had a major setback that was found to have been related to the trauma we experienced with our youngest daughter. The setback was one of the scariest experiences our family has ever endured and it was bad enough that we had to find an inpatient clinic that would provide him with the care and treatment he needed.
During that time, Sinaiyah did not succumb to the crushing sorrow and grief we all felt from the experience, instead, she continued to step up and help me with the home and her younger sister and as a way to fight back and overcome, with the help of very special people in her life, she decided to write about her experience in an effort to bring awareness to the unique challenges of children of wounded, ill or injured veterans, in honor of Veteran's Day last year, which was published and thankfully received positive feedback. Her strength and steadfastness encouraged me, her Dad and younger sister to keep moving forward."
"My sister was overjoyed when I came back home," said Sinaiyah's sister Azara (13). "During all the time I was in the hospital with my mom, she helped to take care of my dad [a combat-injured USAF Veteran] and with our home. On the days my dad stayed in the hospital with my mom and me, she had to stay with friends but during the days she mostly spent time at home by herself.
But she made good use of her time! She got my friends from church to help her make a banner to have hung up for me when I got home. Seeing her after so many days and hugging her felt like hot chocolate on a cold day. At home, I was not getting better, actually, I was getting worse. I had great care at Walter Reed. They allowed my sister to visit me and when she did, she brought cool things like nail polish and hair tinsel. She not only brought me joy but the nurses also had a lot of fun watching us."
Q&A with Sinaiyah
What are your favorite after-school activities? What do you love about them?
My favorite after-school activities are reading, writing, playing the piano and singing! For me, they always relieve stress and allow me to process the events of the day. I also love coordinating events at our CO-OP and homeschool community to bring awareness to the unique experiences of military children.
To you, what does it mean to be a military kid?
Being a military kid means being flexible and perseverant in the face of difficulty. What I have learned as a military kid is that sometimes you wake up not knowing what the day will bring, but my experience has taught me that it is ok, and through the hardship, as long as I stay close to my family and surround myself with them, everything will turn out well by the end of the day. I’ve also learned that being a military kid, you have to find your allies. You don't have to do it alone. The difficulties I have faced being a military kid have not only shaped my relationships with family members to be deeper and stronger but have also made my relationships with friends more meaningful.
Do you have any advice to other kids with a Veteran parent?
You are not alone. We, as military kids, have to jump in and take up heavier roles because our parents need help, but, don’t try to do it all by yourself. The fact that you are even stepping up to help your military parent or their caregiver makes such a difference! Also, speak up! If you feel like your environment is taking a toll on your health or even mental health, don’t be silent. Even if it is difficult, going to someone for help is the right thing to do. Personally, while I may need the help of my parents and others during difficult times, I can rest in knowing that I am loved by a God who cares about what I am going through. Faith has been my anchor.
What do you want to be when you get older?
I want to be a journalist with my younger sister, Azara. We are both currently working hard to start a blog that we plan to kick off next year to reach out to children of combat veterans. My dream is to use my writing to impact others through the words that God has gifted me, to bring people together and to bring glory to the One who inspires me to do so.
