Hello everyone, first this is the first letter I’m posting on this so please don’t be too judgmental lol. Kidding aside, let me tell you a little more about myself I suffered a devastating lower back injury from a car accident I suffered when I was 13 years old. It turned my entire life into a tailspin downward for a decade I was in a wheelchair in severe pain in my lower back and extremities to the point where I needed to use a wheelchair to get to the bathroom in my own home!!!! My social life was non-existent and no Doctors would do anything to help me because of my age. All they would do is drug me and put me in Psychiatric wards and never believed that I had pain, I heard so many times, “He’s a kid, he don’t know pain” so many times I wanted to go home and cry and many times that’s exactly what I did. At the same time I was prescribed numerous prescriptions harmful drugs that had massive side effects and had me throwing up and getting me immensely sick. I spent night after night in various ER’s around the Western New York area including out of the area such as Boston, Rochester and Cleveland but none were willing to do what it took to help me. But I finally found the right Doctors after a decade that felt more like an eternity, after an eleven-hour procedure I can get around, walk, move and actual live life again after watching so much of it go by my bedroom window. I am now pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming a sports play by play announcer and got to spend this past summer announcing games for the Batavia Muckdogs a local baseball team here in Buffalo as I work my way up to one day hopefully becoming a radio play by play announcer for Major League Baseball. However, I am also writing this letter to lend an ear, what makes this community great is that we all bond over the trials and tribulations of life and within that we become closer as potentially friends. During my medical ordeal I thought about committing suicide three different times but I thought no there is a better way. But, I’ve certainly been through my ups and downs in life and I know that sometimes just having someone to listen makes all the difference, so if anyone needs somebody to listen or just needs a friend I’m available and willing to help when I’m not calling games of course lol. But I am here and want the members of this community to know that I am here because I know dark times in life and not just my own physical health, I’ve dealt with alcoholic family members, family members who survived domestic abuse and a lot of other dark and scary and downright sad and messed up things this world can thrown upon a person. And when you get swept up in the darkness, sometimes you just need someone to know you care. Unfortunately, I know how quickly life can change in the blink of an eye. I’ve lost family members to covid and even in my own life, one second I’m perfectly healthy coming back from religion class on a Sunday and the next second I get in a major accident that flipped my life on its proverbial ear. And just the rapid and sudden change of life can be a ton and overwhelming to deal with, I know that feeling firsthand and again I am willing to listen to those who may be dealing with that currently in their own lives and again I am here. Again I understand that you do not know me and I would never ask any of you to share anything with me you don’t feel comfortable sharing. I’m just offering a friendly ear to listen and I think especially with the hard times this world has seen the last couple years whether it be the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, or just flat out life itself I believe we can get through it so long as we all support each other and listen to each other in times of need and great distress. So I would like to extend the olive branch and offer my friendship to anyone who feels the world is against them or they have very little company in their own lives I know what that feels like and if I can help you guys from feeling the almost hopeless isolation I felt for so long then that will make my day and hopefully make yours as well. One last thing to conclude my incessant ramblings, I think I speak for everyone when I say what a wonderful person Lauren is for putting this all together making this forum possible, she has been nothing but kind to me my entire time as a member of this community and I’m sure she has done the same for everyone in the Unsealed Community, Lauren you should be very proud of yourself for what you have accomplished and are accomplishing with this, the world needs more people like you!!!! You are a true angel. Once again, my name is John and I want to thank you guys in advance for listening to my long-windedness, I truly do appreciate it. I know it has been a while since I posted my first letter but I felt given the nature of this community I felt it necessary to offer a potential friendship and just to have another person in your corner when it feels like you have no one. Remember you are not alone and you truly matter, even though life may do things that make you feel that you don’t you do. I’ve been there and that’s why if you need someone to listen I’m here, I’m just a letter away. On that note, that’s it for me for now, feel free to reply or reach out guys if you ever need someone to just listen. I look forward to interacting with you guys very soon. Your friend John Carubba