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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Faia Stevenson doesn't wait for someone else to build what's missing. She comes from a tradition of medicine where you knew your patients by name, showed up at their door, and understood the family. When she came to the US, she became an RN, founded Better Options in 2001, pivoted to ventilator-specialty care by 2008, opened Rite Choice when the waiting list outgrew the first home, completed her master's and became a nurse practitioner, runs a skin clinic. And then built a CNA school. She sees a gap. She fills it. Apparently she doesn't stop. Care has always been part of my orbit. But like most real lessons, mine came in humbling formats. I found myself placed with clients who deserved 24/7 coordinated support and were receiving a few hours, a few days a week, from one person without the credentials or backup to protect them. Better Options wasn't where I discovered the problem. It was where I finally got to do something about it. The best care programs and schools share one philosophy: meet people where they are. That's the standard Faia's homes are known for — and one I'd love to contribute to through Cascadia Cruise Co. and the credential path I'm on. On the day of our state skills exam, Faia was already in it with us — present, mentoring, talking with my clinical partner about his path and with me — someone who has lived and worked across a few continents, worn a lot of hats, and is now pivoting into something that finally feels like it was always pointing here. Then she just said it: we hadn't missed a single step. That she rarely sees that. It landed the way true things do — quietly, and then all at once. 108 hours. Accelerated. Washington State Board of Nursing certified. March 30, 2026. Mom, student, founder — all at once, which is just kind of how it goes. Better Options School of Nursing — betteroptionsnursingschool.com Better Options Ventilator Care — betteroptionsventilator.com Rite Choice Ventilator Care — ritechoiceventilatorhome.co — Lauren Forsythe, Founder Cascadia Cruise Co. — Mobile hospitality that meets you where you are. 564-241-4712
By Lauren F.