Leilani R. is the daughter of U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Manuel R.. Leilani shares that her father was a good friend who put others before himself. “If I asked my family about him, everyone would say good things about him. He was someone who everyone looked up to and respected.”
In 2012, when Leilani was 12 years old, SSgt R. passed away due to a service-connected illness. For Leilani and her family, it’s important to celebrate her father’s life and not dwell on his death. “We remember his life with love, not with sadness,” she explains. “Grief doesn’t go away, you learn to live with it and find things that’ll help you cope with this grief. For me, it’s music and art. It ties me closer to my father - he also loved music and was an amazing artist.”
Fallen Patriots is honored to support Leilani as she studies Nursing at San Antonio College. Leilani plans to receive her BSN and begin work at a children’s hospital. Going on to college, and studying to become a nurse, is something Leilani believes her father would be most proud of.
After receiving a scholarship from Fallen Patriots, Leilani shares, “I feel a huge weight off my shoulders. I am able to focus more on my courses than having to worry about financial issues and stresses.”
There are approximately 25,000 military children who have lost an active duty parent in the military over the last 35 years. The vision of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is to ensure that every such child receives all necessary college funding.
