This article is an update for followers of Teiya's story. If you have not read about her journey thus far, you can read about it in the link below. If you have read her story or seen her on social media you know it is because she is an utterly amazing young lady. Now 6 years old, Teiya is studying hard and prepping to join the first grade. This is yet another challenge for our Princess Warrior who had to miss a lot of pre-school prep-time over the last year due to her treatment. Her goal is to be ready to jump into 1st grade with all her friends when she moves back to her home on Guam after the summer.
Check out Teiya's story, click the link below
For our Teiya update, we have decided to take a page from her book and focus on the positive!
Before checking in with our Princess Warrior we tuned in to the 2017 Mariana's Open Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament hosted in Teiya's home, the beautiful island of Guam.
The tournament featured an exciting 'Fight for Teiya'. A super fight match-up of two amazing black belts. Professor Makoto Aramaki and Professor Jared Weiner went head to head at the Phoenix Center in Mangilao in a battle with joint efforts in supporting Teiya in her battle. Proceeds from the super fight were proudly presented from the black belt Professors to Teiya's father BJ Rolinski (Fokai Amphibious Division) on April 30th 2017.
Later, in her interview, Teiya shares with us in short what makes her happy, who kept her company when she wasn't feeling well and all the different ways in which they worked to cheer her up and keep her spirits soaring.
When we asked our fellow fokai femme achiever Teiya, "What makes you happy?" she had a whole list of things to say. Among her favorites; singing, dancing, eating pizza and swimming but Teiya explains that her mom and dad taking her to the park is what makes her most happy.
Femme Achievers: "Who were the people who stuck by your side and cheered you up when you were feeling sad?"
Teiya: " My whole family. My brother, my mom and my dad and my cousins too"
Femme Achievers: "What kinds of things did they do to cheer you up?"
Teiya: "My bubba (brother) makes arts & crafts with me, like making bracelets (HUGE SMILE) annndd they would hug me and love me so much."
Femme Achievers: "What was it like getting to meet the judges of the voice?"
Teiya: "They told me to stay strong and keep fighting!"
Femme Achievers: "Have you been to any beaches while you were staying in California for treatment? How do they compare to beaches on Guam"
Teiya: "Yes, well I like Guam beaches because they are more prettier and because it's my home."
Femme Achievers: "What is the first thing you are going to do when you come home to Guam?"
Teiya tells us, "I just like going to my friends house and going to swim at the pool."
We were also curious to see what Teiya learned from her experience. We asked her "Did you learn anything new while you were in the hospital?"
Her message? "I learned to never give up, and stay strong"
Our final question? We wanted to know Teiya's thoughts on how we could make the world a better place.
Teiya: "By being kind and sharing stuff with people"
-Fökai Femme Achievers : Interview conducted by Tarra VanMeter