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KEONIE White could not hold back her tears as she thanked Food For the Poor (FFP) for restoring her childhood dream of becoming a paediatrician by funding the remainder of her tuition fee.The 22-year-old, who is a second-year medical student at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, said she fell into a financial turmoil after realising that she would no longer benefit from a grant which helped to start her studies in 2019."I felt as if my lifelong dream and life itself were shattered, broken to pieces; which I could not figure out how to put back together. As a result I started seeking financial assistance. God led me to Professor Dr Helen Trotman Edwards, deputy dean at the Faculty of Medical Sciences. She reached out to me a few weeks after I informed her of my situation to communicate to me that there is a funding opportunity available through FFP," said White, who was speaking at FFP's medical scholarship handover ceremony at The UWI's Faculty of Medical of Sciences on Friday.White is the recipient of this year's medical scholarship which was created by FFP donors, the Davis Elkins Foundation, through Operation Starfish and Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, Virginia in 2017."This was a beacon of hope in a period of despair and uncertainty. I would have spent days praying and crying, wondering if all my hard work that I have been putting in was in vain. I grappled with self-doubt and deep thoughts of possibly having to change my career path as I felt that I no longer had a future in medicine," a delighted White said.Explaining how her inspiration to become a paediatrician stemmed from a childhood experience ­- she said when she contracted pneumonia at only a few days old, which made her relatives fearful that she would die."Now residing in a rural community [Auchtembeddie, Manchester] at that time of the night it was difficult for them to seek transportation to take me to the hospital. They anxiously awaited morning and they thought that if I survived the night, then I would be fine. Thankfully, God carried me through the night and I was taken to the hospital where doctors worked relentlessly to save my life. I believe that my ambition to serve in the capacity of a paediatrician was ordained by God," she said.Now, White will be able to complete the next three years of medical school without worrying about finances. She said her relatives and friends are also relieved.Her sister Nicola could not contain her joy."I feel very elated, I am really happy for her because I know her journey, I have been there with her so I know everything she has been through," she said.Principal of The UWI, Mona, Professor Dale Webber pointed out that there are more than 1,000 applicants annually for the school's medical programme with only 280 spaces available.He added that there are 800 students who fully qualify for the programme and could have been admitted but half of those applicants cannot afford the fees."Many live their dreams and start with the hope that they will find an opportunity, find a donor, find a friend, find family. Ms White is going to be able to make the launch, not just for a year, but I understand for her entire medical programme and that is a promise which I am sure she will fulfill. The return in investment is therefore not just an individual who will achieve her goals but an individual who now becomes an ambassador for FFP, for the university and the medical faculty," he said.FFP Executive Director Craig Moss-Solomon added: "For us it's about playing our part to break generational cycles and helping to equip our students with all they need to fulfill their dreams and contribute to national development."