FOX 7 viewers help Dripping Springs teen go to 2022 Deaflympics
DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas - Last week we introduced you to Faith Wylie. She is a senior at Dripping Springs High School who is trying to make her way to Brazil in order to compete in the 2022 Deaf Olympics.
After our story aired we had a viewer reach out with a very special surprise.
Dan and Mellissa Martin didn’t know Faith, but after seeing her story, they felt incredibly moved. "She seemed like a real go-getter girl, and that’s what our son was," Dan Martin said.
The two had a son, Chris, who loved soccer. Martin described him as the "epitome of soccer," saying it’s all he ever did and thought about. "From the time he was about 5, he kicked his first soccer ball…he played soccer every chance he could get," he said.
However, on December 8, 2008 -13 years ago nearly to the date, he passed away. "We celebrate this time of year by trying to do something to help people," they said.
In honor of Chris, they are fully sponsoring Faith in her journey of traveling to Brazil and competing in the 2022 Deaf Olympics. "We know what it’s like for a kid to reach their soccer dreams…you could tell that she wants it bad, really really bad," Martin said.
Wanting it to be a surprise, FOX 7 AUSTIN reached out to Faith’s family and set up another interview. During the interview, the Martin’s came over and told her and her family the special news.
"We like to do something to celebrate his life every year, and we want to pay for your trip," Dan Martin told the Wylie family.
A dream she’s has since she was a young girl, is now a reality
Dan: Would you like us to do that?
Faith: Yes, please that would be amazing!
Never having been out of the country before, Faith says being able to go and represent the U.S. alongside her best friends, doing what she loves, is incredible. "It’s something I can’t compare to anything I’ve done before on my 17 years on earth," she said. "I’m so excited."
Since the games are just a few weeks before she graduates, she said she hopes she can come home with something special. "I'm hoping I can come back with a medal I can wear around my neck at graduation," Faith said.
Adding she’s so thankful for the support of the Martin family. And the Martin’s saying: It’s the way Chris would have wanted it. "It’s a perfect fit, I wish she could meet Chris," Martin said.
Faith says she wants to represent Chris someway while she is in Brazil. Chris used to wear the number 13. Faith says if she can, she will try to write it somewhere on her sleeve, shorts, or undershirt to honor him.
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MORE HEADLINES:
Dripping Springs teen raising money to go to 2022 Deaflympics
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