Faith

By Jill Flagg

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.”  Helen Keller

 Today marks the three-year anniversary of the death of Faith Finley.  Because of Faith Finley’s tragic death, the restraint law in Ohio has changed, making people in facilities safer.  What many people don’t know about Faith is that she also touched many lives while she was alive. 

 Faith Finley was a light that people who didn’t know her neglected to see.  Light that was snuffed out far too early.  She was labeled a “troubled youth” as a teenager and placed in a facility with other teenagers of her “kind.”  Faith was a beautiful, intelligent, and complex person who had suffered much hardship in her short life.   The people that commented about her death in the paper seemed to know her based on that label.   The writers assumed that she was a violent kid who contributed to her own death. 

 If you talked to the other “troubled youths” at Parmadale, you would learn about Faith.  She inspired them.  They would tell you that Faith was artistic.  Faith constantly drew pictures and wrote song lyrics.  Faith was a Christian.  She expressed her faith to kids at Parmadale, even praying with them.  Faith was loved.  She was so close to her twin sister that they could hear each other’s thoughts and feel each others emotions.   Faith could say anything to her sister without filter and with the type of security that an everlasting bond brings.  Faith was loved.

 I was at the morgue when Faith’s mother saw her lifeless body for the first time.  It was heartbreaking as I watched her mother beg to see faith's feet so that she could kiss them one last time.  Faith was loved!

 The children in facilities are people with special talents and unique gifts to give to the world.   They need people who listen to them.  They need  to be believed.   They need to be loved.   They need people like Faith.