Faith Danaher was 13 when she lost her father. In spite of this tragic loss, she has kept up straight A’s and excels in sports.

AW: What part of your life, would you say, was affected the most by the loss of a parent?

FD: My home life because that’s where I saw my dad.

AW: Who in your family was the most affected by the loss of your father?

FD: We were all affected pretty hard, but just differently. For me, it’s thinking of things he’s missing out on, like my marriage and stuff. For Ben [Faith’s little brother], it’s every baseball game and everything he does, and for my mom, it’s her partner.

AW: When you’re down, what helps you keep going?
FD: I like to run and play soccer, and I also really like to eat sweets; it makes me feel a lot better. It’s magic medicine.

AW: Who has helped you cope the most?
FD: It hasn’t really been a person. I guess my dad has helped me cope; even though he’s not here, I just think of what he would say.

AW: What activity or method usually helps you with coping?
FD: Running, getting some exercise; soccer.

AW: Is soccer your favorite sport?
FD: Definitely. I like the teamwork and the team part and I like my position, getting to tackle people; I don’t know, I just like it. It’s my favorite.

AW: Do you do any other sports?
FD: I do cross country, at South.

AW: How is cross country at South?
FD: It’s pretty difficult. It’s a lot of work, and sometimes it’s not very fun, but the people are really nice, and it’s getting me in really good shape.

AW: Why do you like sports with running so much?
FD: It helps me clear my head. That’s kind of a cliché answer.

AW: Would there be any other sports or activities you’d like to do?
FD: Bowling, because it seems so fun. I don’t know, it just does.

AW: You do so much, and keep going every day. Does it ever feel like it’s all too much?
FD: We have a lot of homework, and that’s a lot, but it keeps me from thinking about sadness, and being sad, so that’s good.

AW: Tell me how others have helped you get through this monumental event.

FD: My friends — you know who you are — they just treated me the same. They know I’ve had hard times, but they just keep treating me the same. Some people faked being friends with me, to make them seem nicer. I’d get texts from people I’d never talked to before about it, and it was kind of annoying. But my real friends, they really helped me. And my coaches.

AW: Tell me how the rest of your family has been coping.
FD: Ben plays baseball; I guess that helps him. He has lots of friends and he’s always with friends.

AW: What would you have to say to kids who are in approximately the same situation as you?
FD: Just keep going. Just keep doing what your parent would want you to do, because they know best. A dead parent becomes so much more inspiring to you, and everything they said to you before they died seems so much more important and you just need to think about what they said to keep going.